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Concussions account for approximately 18% of all hockey injuries.
The rate of concussion injury for youth hockey is only slightly less than that of professionals. Yet few tools exist to deal with diagnosis and monitoring of concussions, and even fewer tools exist to help heal them. As researchers, amateur players and parents we could not let this trend continue. PUCCS is seeking funds to help with research that will allow us to better understand and develop the clinical tools necessary to help young athletes manage and recover from the effects of concussion and stroke.
Our vision is to use the imaging resources available in medicine to develop the most accurate tools to assist clinicians and coaches to more accurately assess and identify the severity of injury and eventually determine when a player can safely return to the game. This work will combine CT perfusion, functional MRI, cerebral
angiography, and other state-of-the-art imaging modalities. In some instances these tools will be used to help patients manage their recovery but initially to better understand what is happening inside the brain itself.
For the parents and individuals who have had to deal with this injury, this is not an abstract concept. It is a day to day reality. The devastating headaches and memory loss are real. The chronic personality changes are misunderstood and affect entire families, every minute of the day.
Our mission is to provide the tools necessary to understand and eradicate concussions as an injury in all sports.