U of W to open concussion centre

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Glen Bergeron, of the U of W department of kinesiology and applied health, says study is needed to help differentiate between concussions and neck injuries. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

The University of Winnipeg is harnessing expert brain power to create a state-of-the-art centre to examine one of today's highest-profile medical problems -- concussions.

The hope is to have a concussion resource centre running sometime in the 2012-13 academic year, said Glen Bergeron, chairman of the department of kinesiology and applied health at the U of W.

This injury is increasingly feared because a growing body of research -- much of it centred on dissecting the brains of former contact-sport athletes -- has identified potential long-term consequences that can result from concussions, such as dementia, particularly among boxers, hockey players and football players.

"Now players and parents are saying this is a bigger issue than playing the game. It may have consequences for their lifetime," he said.

Bergeron has established a brain trust in the area that includes neurosurgeons from Health Sciences Centre, neuroscientists from the U of W and the National Research Centre, sports medicine physicians from Legacy Sports Medicine, the Sports Medicine Council of Manitoba and the Manitoba Athletic Therapists Association.

The concussion or concussions suffered by Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby in January 2011, which sidelined him for the better part of a year, has brought unprecedented attention to the condition, which is largely misunderstood, even among medical professionals.

Many symptoms of a concussion, such as blurred vision, headaches and depression, are also found in victims of other conditions, such as whiplash.

"(The challenge) is determining whether it's a concussion, a neck injury or both," Bergeron said.

Bergeron said brain injuries are vastly different from ordinary sports injuries, such as a sprained knee or a separated shoulder. Athletes who are rehabbing their extremities aren't allowed back on the field of play until the injury has fully healed and they're able to shoot, pass, catch or punch like they did before they were hurt. That needs to be applied to concussion victims, because they may be at risk of sustaining a second one if they return to the game too soon.

"They may not be able to react quickly enough or they don't get into the game with 100 per cent confidence. They may lay back a bit or they may not be able to protect themselves in the game," Bergeron said.

The concern over concussions extends beyond the field of play. Longtime hockey enforcers Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien died within a four-month span during the last off-season. In all three cases, it was feared repeated concussions -- many of them undiagnosed -- led to brain damage and their suspected suicides. The same rumours abounded last week after the death of Junior Seau, a former all-star linebacker in the NFL, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 43.

Doug Brown, recently retired Blue Bombers defensive tackle, said he wishes a concussion research centre had opened 15 years ago when he was just starting his career in the NFL.

"Better late than never. It will make the game a lot safer for everybody who is entering it now," he said.

Football, like hockey, is based on toughness and enduring extreme punishment. For many players, admitting they can't answer the call of duty is considered a sign of weakness. It also opens up the possibility they could be replaced. Before the majority of competitors openly admit to having had their bell rung and submit to medical tests, Brown said, there needs to be a culture change among coaches, management and organizations.

He once heard legendary football coach Bud Grant give a speech about how the most important attribute any athlete can embody is durability.

"That's a dynamic of the game that's critical for the success of football players."

Brown said a number of times, he sustained blows that caused him to momentarily lose his bearings. He was usually back on the field a short time later.

Some players use tricks to maintain their tough-as-nails personas. Brown said he knows a veteran who played last year in the CFL who would signal to younger players if he wasn't sure where he was after a hard hit. They would whisper the date, the city they were in and the score so he was ready for the expected questions from the team doctor.

"There are times when you look up at the scoreboard and you have no idea how you got there. That's the scariest thing. Things just disappear."

Bergeron said diffuse tension imaging, or DTI, which provides sophisticated imaging of the brain, could form the basis of research on concussed athletes at the resource centre. This could help determine the frequency with which concussions are sustained and the attitudes toward, behaviours around and knowledge of concussions.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 10, 2012 B2