Dear Editor,
Re: “Don’t play head games,” News, Dec. 12.
Congratulations on an excellent article on managing concussions in the Richmond News.
Cody Kusch and his team are state-of-the-art in concussion management.
I would like to offer a further view.
“First line of attack is defence” — as per the headline on the feature — is only true after the event.
Current research indicates that rotational forces, those that cause the brain to twist, are a major factor in concussions.
There is a way, now well established in cycling, particularly mountain biking, and in snow sports, including skiing and snowboarding that reducing concussions using MIPS helmets is the best available prevention.
I strongly encourage to parents to insist on the MIPS or similar technology in reducing rotational forces for their children’s and their own helmets for all sports where concussions are a concern.
I also strongly support the described program to intervene with the children who have a concussion to minimize the long-term effects.
Reducing the harms through prevention and treatment are goals we can all support.
Richard Mathias MD
Professor emeritus
School of Population and Public Health
UBC
