The Short- and Long-term Effects of Sport-related Concussions to Ice Hockey Players

Abstract

Abstract For many decades, sport-related concussions have impacted athletes with little concern and awareness given to their short- and long-term effects. Recent events, however, have brought much-needed attention to the need for increased investigation of the impacts and effects of sport-related concussions on a broad level. To this end, this synthesis reviewed literature regarding a cumulation of the known short- and long-term effects which sport-related concussions (SRC) have on ice hockey players. The data for this synthesis was collected using the EBSCOHOST search engine found on SUNY-Brockport’s Drake Memorial Library online search website. The 11 studies in the critical mass were obtained using keywords in the SPORTDiscus, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete and Google Scholar databases. Three research questions were answered: (a) What are the effects of sport related concussions (SRC) on ice hockey players physiological and cognitive functioning, (b) What are the psychological effects of SRC’s on ice hockey players, and (c) How does sustaining an SRC affect when ice hockey players return to play and their susceptibility to another injury? Results reveal that there are many detrimental short- and long-term effects of SRC’s including a decrease in cognitive mapping, reaction time, motor-visual functioning, a poorer quality of life (QoL), and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder as. Also, athletes are more susceptible to future injuries after suffering SRC’s. Findings can assist ice hockey players, their coaches, and parents better understand how SRC’s affect athletes, as well as how to prevent both further injuries and to prevent players from having to give up playing ice hockey due to SRC’s.