A newly-launched study at a B.C. university is taking concussion research to a place itB次元官网网址檚 never been before B次元官网网址� the world of womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey.

Players from the schoolB次元官网网址檚 teams will start wearing high-tech mouthguards this spring to capture data for University of B.C. researchers who study concussions.

Experts will explore on-ice head injuries in both menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey.

The womenB次元官网网址檚 game, however, is an area of research that has been understudied, according to Dr. Lyndia Wu, an expert in brain injury biomechanics at UBCB次元官网网址檚 faculty of applied science.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lack of womenB次元官网网址檚 sports data,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淕iven that ice hockey is a high-concussion incident sport, itB次元官网网址檚 a good idea to expand to this population.B次元官网网址�

Wu told Black Press that past research has shown women in sports tend to have a lower tolerance for getting concussed, as well as a longer recovery profile compared to their male counterparts.

Before arriving at UBC, Wu conducted similar research for the football team at Stanford University in California while working on her PhD.

Sports concussion research conducted globally B次元官网网址� up until this point B次元官网网址� has been primarily allocated to the menB次元官网网址檚 side of the coin.

But the new B.C.-based study is determined to investigate the differences between men and women hockey players when head injuries are suffered, as well as the potential long-term effects that come along with it.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been not enough research on female athletes whoB次元官网网址檝e suffered a sport-related concussion, and so looking at and comparing to male athletes will potentially provide some insight into the sex differences that occur,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Paul van Donkelaar, a professor in the school of health and exercise sciences at UBCB次元官网网址檚 Okanagan campus.

Sensors built inside the mouthguards will capture the speed and direction of bodychecks on the ice, with data live-streamed in realtime to a research tablet.

B次元官网网址淚f anyone has watched womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey at its highest level, they know itB次元官网网址檚 physical,B次元官网网址� said UBC Thunderbirds womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey head coach Graham Thomas.

B次元官网网址淭he technology in this mouthguard has never been seen before,B次元官网网址� Thomas added.

As part of the pending five-year project, players will be given periodic assessment tests that track their brain health over time, based on the data collected through the newly-developed mouthguards.

B次元官网网址淪evere hits to the head are what most people are aware of, but even milder hits may have significant effects if they happen multiple times over the years,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Alexander Rauscher, an associate professor in the department of pediatrics.

An undisclosed number of players will begin wearing the mouthguards immediately, in time for the ThunderbirdsB次元官网网址� upcoming playoff schedule.

Thomas, who recently led the schoolB次元官网网址檚 womenB次元官网网址檚 team to a Canada West title, told Black Press that despite some reluctancy from select players, he expects more and more to participate in the research project by next season.

B次元官网网址淚f we could get more data and be part of future change, then thatB次元官网网址檚 always a good thing.B次元官网网址�

logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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