Ice hockey players colliding feels like a low-speed car accident

The Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences have determined that there is a relationship between whiplash-associated disorders and concussion in ice hockey players.

The findings were published in Brain Injury, the official research journal of the International Brain Injury Association (www.internationalbrain,org). They showed that whiplash disorders and concussion occurred in all hockey players who sought treatment, regardless of how their personal injury occurred.

While many studies have been carried out connected to whiplash and concussion, few closely examine the relationship between head and neck acceleration and deceleration injuries and concussion.

An injury on ice feels like a car accident
Sports therapists say that hockey players who suffer from head and neck injuries including whiplash after a collision on the ice need the same medical attention as somebody who has just had a car accident.

Ice hockey players can reach speeds of more than 40km an hour when they're skating and as high as 24km an hour when they're sliding on the ice. The impact of colliding with another player or hitting the boards of the rink can be compared to a low-speed road traffic accident.

The majority of hockey players who get whiplash also show symptoms of concussion. By realising that whiplash and concussion symptoms usually occur together, appropriate action and treatment can be taken to make sure that athletes are safer and cared for better.

Prototypes for hockey player head and neck protection
Personal injuries suffered by players skating has led to ideas for prototypes for neck protectors that hockey players can wear. They look like a slimmer version of the pillow collars worn by travellers and are designed to fit underneath a hockey jersey with Velcro fasteners to stay in place. Tests show that the model can limit neck flexing during whiplash-like movements.

Repetitive blows can result in permanent disability
As with boxing, despite the fact that hockey players wear helmets, too many blows to the head can leave an ice hockey player with a permanent disability. A few blows may knock you to the ground, but another may seriously affect your brain and could even result in brain damage.

An American hockey player injured during a match in 2003 was unable to play for over a year, during which time he suffered regular headaches and tunnel vision. It was eventually concluded that he was suffering from post-traumatic migraine syndrome.

It is not generally known that whiplash symptoms can cause brain damage and that somebody with a traumatic brain injury has seven times the chance of having a second traumatic brain injury.

Whiplash compensation claim
Having a head injury with whiplash is no joke. The force of impact with ice sports can be extremely serious and if a hockey player hits their head repetitively, they run the same risk of a permanent brain injury as a boxer.

Whiplash for ice hockey players is therefore an occupational risk and if adequate steps are not taken to protect them, somebody else could be liable in the event of a whiplash personal injury.

If this has happened to you, you may be able to make a claim. To get free legal advice in plain English and find out how the claims system works, call us now on 0800 10 757 95.

Our panel of solicitors have extensive experience in personal injury sports compensation claims and an excellent success rate. There will be absolutely no cost to you at any time and we can even guarantee that you'll receive 100% of any whiplash compensation awarded.