U of C initiative researches concussions and sports injuries in Alberta youth
A Canadian team of University of Calgary specialists are taking their research on the road as they aim to prevent, diagnose and treat concussions.
The newly-created SHRed Mobile is a self-contained vehicle that is stocked with equipment as well as staff and students from the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre (SIPRC).
It'll be rolling through some Alberta cities and towns to form a better understanding of the burden and mechanisms of concussions in young athletes.
SHRed, which stands for Surveillance in High School and Community Sport to Reduce Concussions and Consequences of Concussions in Canadian Youth, set up camp near youth football games Saturday morning.
Dr. Carolyn Emery, an epidemiologist and physiotherapist, is the team lead.
She wants to learn more about concussions and build on injury prevention strategies in communities across Alberta.
"We really want to reduce the burden of concussions in all of these sports," she told CTV News, "to make sure that these kids are still playing sports in their 20s and 30s and can have life-long participation in physical activity."
Inside the SHRed Mobile, research can be conducted on pre-season testing sessions, post-concussing testing, clinical testing, video analysis and usage of wearable technologies.
Staff will also be able to travel throughout Alberta to facilitate discussions with coaches and teachers to help instruct them about concussion and injury prevention.
"About 30 per cent of people (who get a concussion) will have prolonged symptoms, and there's millions of concussions that happen across North America each year," kinesiology associate professor and researcher Jonathan Smirl said. "So if we can help those people out, we can really make a big impact on the overall healthcare system. This is going to be a huge tool for breaking down those barriers and bringing our research to the community."
An estimated, one in 10 youth will sustain a sport-related concussion each year in Alberta and more than 60 per cent of all concussions in youth occur in sport and recreational settings, researchers say. (File)
In order to complete this work, SIPRC is actively recruiting youth who participate in a set of specific sports or who have suffered a concussion as a result of a sports injury.
The sports include:
- Football;
- Rugby;
- Ice hockey;
- Ringette;
- Sledge hockey;
- Soccer;
- Basketball;
- Wheelchair basketball;
- Volleyball;
- Lacrosse;
- Cheerleading;
- Acrobatic and street-style dance and;
- Wrestling.
Athletes are encouraged to sign up for the study through the SIPRC's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.