The federation is making the change – which affects players between the ages of 6 and 21 – in an effort to create a safer environment for new players to develop skills. The rule change affects house league and select players in most of the province, though Ottawa and Thunder Bay aren't governed by the OHF.

91��ɫ health professor Alison Macpherson, who was among the first researchers to call for bodychecking to be disallowed in recreational hockey, called it a great first step. "I know some parents keep their kids out of hockey, especially out of competitive hockey, because they worry about the injuries that might ensue when kids are allowed to bodycheck," she said Thursday.

Until now parents who wanted their child to play non-contact hockey didn’t have many options, said Macpherson. “There is pretty good scientific evidence that bodychecking, especially under the bantam level (age 13-14), leads to injury in youth ice hockey,” she said.

A study published last year found kids who were bodychecked were about 2.45 times more likely to suffer an injury than kids who didn’t play with body contact and 1.7 times more likely to suffer a concussion, she said. “Kids are more likely to play if they think they’re not going to get hurt,” said Macpherson. “Which is great because we have an obesity epidemic.”

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Right: Alyn McCauley

Many of McCauley’s concussions occurred when he was a junior player, before he played a single NHL game, including one that sidelined him for about half of the 1998-1999 season as an up-and-coming hockey star – he won the Canadian Hockey League player of the year award in 1996-1997. He went on to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings, but concussion issues continued to plague him and affect his contributions on the ice.

The Blow by Blow: Sport Concussion Management symposium will run tomorrow from 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, in the Accolade East Building on 91��ɫ's Keele campus.

The symposium is in memory of (left), a former 91��ɫ student who died from an injury sustained from a concussion during a hockey game last year. Donald fell during a fight, hit his head and went into a coma until he died a few weeks later. The Donald Sanderson Memorial Trust Fund has donated funds toward the symposium and the School of Kinesiology & Health Science’s annual student awards to help share important knowledge about concussion management. Dahna Sanderson, Donald’s mother, will deliver the opening remarks at the symposium.

Among the speakers is Professor Jason Mihalik (right) of the Department of Exercise & Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose primary interest involves the study of sport-related neurotraumatic injuries, with a particular emphasis on youth head and neck injury biomechanics. Mihalik will talk about recognizing and managing trauma. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association and is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. He also serves on the editorial board for Athletic Training & Sports Health Care and is the research director for the J. Pat Evans Research Foundation.

Alison MacPherson (left) of 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, who has a long-standing interest in childhood injury research, will discuss the epidemiology of sports-related concussions – incidence, risk factors and prevention. In Ontario, over 6,000 youth and children were seen in emergency departments for a sport-related concussion between 2002 and 2005. Concussions were most common among 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds playing hockey, followed by bicycling, skiing/snowboarding and football.

MacPherson has been involved with research related to childhood injuries in general, and bicycle-related and sport-related injuries specifically. She is the co-principal investigator of the -funded study on child and youth injury prevention. She was the first recipient of the Faculty of Health Early Career Research Award and has served as a reviewer and author for the World Health Organization report on child injury prevention. She is also a member of the ’s Board of Directors and ’s Scientific Advisory Committee.

Also speaking at the symposium is Dr. Paul Piccininni (right), a sports medicine staff member at 91��ɫ and team dentist for the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors of the Ontario Hockey League. He will give an update on mouthguards. He has worked at the last nine Summer and Winter Olympic Games, including Vancouver 2010, and has coordinated medical services for world championships, including basketball and ice hockey. He is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation Medical Committee and the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission (Games Group), president of the International Society for Dentistry, Sport & Trauma, and is a Fellow of the Academy for Sports Dentistry.

The symposium costs $20 per person and is free for youth under 17 and all 91��ɫ students with ID. The location is fully accessible. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is free to registered participants in the Student Services Parking Garage.

To register online, click . For registration information, contact Rumina Habib, registration and convocation assistant in the Division of Continuing Education, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, at ext. 44617 or dce@yorku.ca.

For additional information about the event, contact Cindy Hughes, head athletic therapist/manager of the Sport Injury Clinic at the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, at ext. 77232 or chughes@yorku.ca.

The conference was covered in the Toronto Star's section Aug. 31.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The report is published in the June 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Alison Macpherson, an epidemiologist in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the , called the research, “the best study on bodychecking and injury that I’ve seen.”

The debate over bodychecking centres on just when these moves should be introduced to young players, Macpherson said. Other studies have found that the peewee level is not a good time to introduce bodychecking, because of wide disparities in the size of the players, she said. “Body checking should not be part of the game for peewee players,” said Macpherson, who also has a son who plays hockey. “Bodychecking should not be introduced until children are 16,” she contends, because “concussions can be very bad for children.”

The complete .

Macpherson is also a member of the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Tai chi can help mitigate musculoskeletal disorders caused by extended computer use and provide a lift in mood, says a study led by 91��ɫ researchers.

The study looked at female computer users at the University, measuring levels of physical fitness and psychological well-being in more than 50 staff members who participated in a twice-weekly lunch-hour tai chi program.

Above: Tai chi is a popular martial art that originated in China. A 91��ɫ study has found that regular participation in tai chi classes offers great physical and psychological benefits for workers in desk jobs. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Researchers found that participants improved their musculoskeletal and back fitness, achieved lower resting heart rates and a smaller waist circumference, and experienced an emotional boost.

"Overall, the program was effective in improving both musculoskeletal fitness and psychological well-being," says study lead author Hala Tamim, professor in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health. "We’re excited about these results, especially given the difficulty in treating musculoskeletal disorders using traditional methods," she says.

Left: Hala Tamim

Musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, are painful disorders of muscles, nerves and tendons, often caused by work activities that are repetitive or involve awkward postures. Women suffer from these complications at a higher rate than men, which makes early intervention for women particularly important, according to Tamim.

The exercise program consisted of two 50-minute classes per week for 12 consecutive weeks from May to August 2007. Classes were conducted by a professional tai chi practitioner, using fitness facilities at the University.

Study participants averaged 5.8 hours a day on computers at work. The majority (79 per cent) perceived their physical fitness as average or above, yet 34.6 per cent reported that they rarely or never engaged in weekly physical activity. Of the 52 participants, 42 had never formally practised tai chi prior to the study.

Pre- and post-program assessments included resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, anthropometric measures (height, weight, waist circumference) and musculoskeletal and back fitness (including grip strength, sit and reach, and vertical jump tests), employing the Canadian Physical Activity, Fitness & Lifestyle Approach.

Psychological well-being of study participants was also assessed pre- and post-program, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). They reported feeling less stress and more control over their lives and personal problems.

Tamim says the simplicity of tai chi makes it especially beneficial for office workers. "It’s something that can easily fit into a working day. You don’t need any specialized equipment, and you’re not perspiring heavily, so there’s no need to shower before going back to work," she says.

The study, "Tai chi workplace program for improving musculoskeletal fitness among female computer users", is published in the Dec. 23 issue WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation.

It is co-authored by kinesiology & health science graduate student Evan Castel, 91��ɫ Professors Veronica Jamnik, Sherry Grace, Norman Gledhill and Alison Macpherson, and McMaster University Professor Peter Keir.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Falls on a playground may go with the territory, but many children’s spills and tumbles off playground equipment can lead to emergency room visits and hospital stays. And just how badly a child is hurt not only depends on how far they fall, but also on the type of surface they land on.

The study shows the risk of an arm fracture from a fall off playground equipment is 4.9 times higher on a wood-chip surface compared to sand. Risks of other types of injuries are also higher on wood-chip surfaces.

Above: Researchers at SickKids and 91��ɫ found that sand surfacing in playgrounds reduces the risk of arm fractures in children from falls off the equipment. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

“Broken arms from playground equipment falls are common and can be severe. A simple sand surface, properly maintained, can prevent many of these injuries,” says Dr. Andrew Howard, the study’s lead author and SickKids orthopedic surgeon, scientist and associate professor in the Departments of Surgery and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, at the University of Toronto. “We hope these findings will help update standards to reduce the most common injuries without limiting children’s access to healthy outdoor play.”

Alison Macpherson (right), professor in 91��ɫ's School of Kinesiology & Health Science, acted as senior author on the study.

“We found fewer injuries overall than we expected on playgrounds, which shows that the Canadian Standards Association requirement for playground surfaces is protecting children,” says Macpherson. “This study suggests schools could reduce the number of broken arms even further by choosing sand.”

In 2003, the researchers took advantage of a unique opportunity to conduct a real-life randomized trial. The Toronto District School Board was resurfacing a number of school playgrounds and partnered with SickKids in the research. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, 28 schools joined the study and reported on the types of injuries and how they occurred.

There were fewer fractures on sand because it has a lower friction surface and allows the hand to slide or sink, limiting bending and preventing a fracture, says Howard.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the SickKids Foundation. Funding for the playground installations was provided by the Toronto District School Board.

For more information about playground safety, visit the Web site.

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