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Don Sanderson Symposium on Sport Concussions – Second Annual

Posted on by Jen Mark

Yesterday I attended my first Don Sanderson Symposium on Sport Concussions, at York University in Toronto. Don Sanderson was a York University student playing for the Whitby Dunlops hockey club. He was playing in a regular league game in December when he got in a fight, and his helmet came off. When his head hit the ice at the end of the fight, he went unconscious for 30 seconds, he was rushed to the emergency department in a coma. He stayed in the coma for 21 days until he succumbed to his injury in January. His mother has dedicated her time to the Donald Sanderson Memorial Trust Fund, that raises money for concussion education. The event at York was in part funded by this organization.

Dr. Lauren Sergio (York U Neuroscientist) emphasized that concussions don’t only come from hits to the head. Hard shoulder to shoulder hits, quick decelerations, and anything causing whip lash can lead to a concussive force within the head. The concussion comes from the brain hitting the skull from the inside, not an object from the outside. Dr. Sergio also explained the serious nature of what is called Second Impact Syndrome. It is this syndrome that makes concussion risk management so important. Basically, the brain is always being regulated to have the same amount of blood flow no matter the conditions. So whether you’re hungry, tired, cold, hot, or exercising intensely there is always the same amount of blood flow to the brain. When the brain suffers a concussion this system is compromised and causes an increase of blood flow to the brain. Taking a second concussive force to the brain while there are still symptoms causes an increase of pressure to the brain. This can lead to serious brain trauma or likely death.

Dr. Sergio also talked about some of the questions that are coming out of the current research. Why do some people seem more susceptible to concussions and some get more severe symptoms than others? There could be a biomechanical threshold (the body can only handle so much), the amount of torsion the neck undergoes could be a factor, genetics, the number of hits leading up to the big hit, as well as age and gender could all play a roll. Lastly, Sergio talks about new research that she is involved with that might help trainers on the sidelines. Concussion screening tests, right now, test cognitive function and motor ability separately. This new research looks to testing cognitive and motor skills in combination. Apparently those suffering from dementia will focus on cognitive skills when asked to do both in combination (stop walking in order to talk), while athletes will focus on motor skills.

Next Matt Dunigan, former quarterback (and hall of famer) in the CFL spoke about his experiences with 12 concussions. Fifteen years after retirement, he is still suffering from many symptoms, most notably his personality change. It is a struggle for him to let loose and have fun, as well as control his emotions. He spoke about being a parent to a football player, who has suffered 2 concussions. Dunigan pulled him out of football in order to save his son’s athletic career (Dolan now plays NCAA baseball). Dunigan was an athlete that would go back into play even though the “field was sideways”, or had difficulty seeing the field. No one stopped him, and no one took him out the game. Dunigan’s career ended with a concussion, a routine hit, with symptoms that never went away.

The last expert to speak was Dr. Paul Echlin. For those of you who attended the Concussion Symposium in February at BodySmith, Dr. James Carson who spoke has worked along side Dr. Echlin in prominent concussion research. Dr. Echlin reminded us that the brain is a unique organ that has translation (forwards and backwards) and rotational abilities. Here is a list of astonishing stats that has come from Echlin’s research:

  • 300,000 to 2.5 million sport related concussions were reported in the USA last year
  • the Canadian sport with the most reported concussions is hockey
  • Echlin’s research team counted 7 times more concussions than what were reported in the Junior hockey games that they researched

  • 69% of concussions came from hits to the head

  • 80% of those hits were intentional

  • there is only a 7% reporting rate
  • 90% of those with concussions did not lose consciousness

Dr. Echlin finished his lecture talking about management. A doctor must diagnose a concussion, not even your team trainer. If you believe that your athlete, son, or daughter has suffered a concussion do not leave them alone. Do not wake them up in the night (this will offset the healing process). And lastly and most important, if symptoms drastically worsen, take your player, child to the emergency department. The leading doctors (Echlin and Carson) instruct their concussion patients to go to “jail”, no TV, gaming devices, telephone, or computer. But be sure your athlete or child is not left too alone, as it is easy for them to slip into a depression. At the end of your concussion healing process, make sure to get a doctor to clear you for play.


The final two speakers at the symposium were two students that are patients of Dr. Echlin. The first girl was from Bishops University and she had the best line to sum up how those with concussions often feel. She explained: “Don’t ask (your teammate with a concussion) when they will be coming back to play”. So many athletes are sad and depressed about having to sit out and miss games, especially with an invisible injury that neuroscientists are only just starting to understand.

For more information about concussions here are some helpful links:

Jen Mark BSc., CAT(C), CSCS