Head Injuries and Figure Skating | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Head Injuries and Figure Skating

solani

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Country
Austria
No, it should not have been. Someone who is concussed has about the same ability to make sensible decisions as someone who is drunk - and by law we do not consider someone who is drunk to be able to make an informed decision, so why should someone who is concussed be able to?

They should have restrained him, if necessary.
He was examined by a doctor and there were no obvious signs of a concussion, otherwise I'm pretty sure he would have been transported to a hospital immediatly. And he didn't have a concussion. If there is no obvious sign of a major injury there is simply no reason to restrain someone physically. I think that we all care deeply for Han and Hanyu and I remember that I was worried when I saw a trainings video of Hanyu where he was "training" in Japan without a trainer and he was jumping, falling, jumping and falling again and again. That's what makes him so strong, but it is scary, I fully agree. But I see no reason to criticise his team on that account, Orser seems to be a very sensible person.
 

LiamForeman

William/Uilyam
Medalist
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
I get more scared these days watching Pairs. Enough so that I don't think I've watched it in years. Paul Binnobose was probably the worst I'd ever seen. But I remember Doug Ladret had to wear a helmet in competition and after the split 3twist he'd take it off.

I took a huge fall one time on the ice. I picked in for a 2flip and got completely lost in the rotation and somehow managed to fall on my head. I had a concussion and took a week off from school. From then on if I tried a jump I'd wear a knit cap that could at least help break my fall. I don't know why more people don't practice with some type of protection. Especially pairs skaters. It just makes sense.
 

cheerknithanson

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Country
United-States
I get more scared these days watching Pairs. Enough so that I don't think I've watched it in years. Paul Binnobose was probably the worst I'd ever seen. But I remember Doug Ladret had to wear a helmet in competition and after the split 3twist he'd take it off.


I heard about Paul Binnobose's accident in 2006 in an episode of "Impact, Stories of Survival." I think the actual episode first aired in 2002-2004. But I remember first watching it in 2006-2007. And they talked about what happened to him in the hospital and it is scary when you think about it.
 

Horseandpony

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 30, 2015
Dance and pair lifts are terrifying to watch. When the girl is upside down... One slip and she'd get an instant concussion. I was running music at a competition and dancers would just whizz by with one of them hanging upside one. I recall that one of the male skaters was very shaky during his lifts... Not very nice...

I had a concussion earlier this year. I was entering a spin and I slipped right off the back of the blade, smashing my face into the ice. I was wearing my Ice Halo, but it didn't work because I just missed it. It took me over a month to get better. Not the worst case, but bad enough that I had trouble walking in a straight line for a little while.

I wear an Ice Halo 90% of the time. It will not prevent all concussions, but at least it could make them less severe or prevent me from cracking my skull. I know I look stupid in it but I really don't care. It's my brain!
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
When I got my concussion, it was off the ice, so I wasn't afraid to return. But I do always roll my hair into the biggest, fluffiest twist thing on the back of my head to protect it from a blow (somewhat). I like to think that falling forward, you can break your fall somewhat, but backwards falls are quite scary.
 

balladeno1

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Dance and pair lifts are terrifying to watch. When the girl is upside down... One slip and she'd get an instant concussion. I was running music at a competition and dancers would just whizz by with one of them hanging upside one. I recall that one of the male skaters was very shaky during his lifts... Not very nice...

I had a concussion earlier this year. I was entering a spin and I slipped right off the back of the blade, smashing my face into the ice. I was wearing my Ice Halo, but it didn't work because I just missed it. It took me over a month to get better. Not the worst case, but bad enough that I had trouble walking in a straight line for a little while.

I wear an Ice Halo 90% of the time. It will not prevent all concussions, but at least it could make them less severe or prevent me from cracking my skull. I know I look stupid in it but I really don't care. It's my brain!

What's an ice halo? I have seen the company Second Skull make products to protect the head from injury in the form of headgear. Maybe it's the same.. Thanks for all the replies! This is a very serious topic for some of you guys to discuss(if not all), so I really appreciate all the opinions! Sorry, I haven't been on! I wanted to take a break and really enjoy the summer!
 

Amei

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
When I got my concussion, it was off the ice, so I wasn't afraid to return. But I do always roll my hair into the biggest, fluffiest twist thing on the back of my head to protect it from a blow (somewhat). I like to think that falling forward, you can break your fall somewhat, but backwards falls are quite scary.

And do different kind of damage - I put my hands out to brace a fall and ended up doing some really nasty damage to one of my wrists (bones and ligaments)
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Gosh gee mon amie, I regret to say I disagree.

Whether or not Hanyu recovered enough to win the GPF in December is irrelevant to the question of whether he should have gone back on the ice in November at COC. The kid fell five times in the space of 4 minutes. The fact that a poor decision turns out not to have had catastrophic consequences doesn't mean that IN RETROSPECT it wasn't a poor decision. It simply means he was really really lucky.

ITA I like Hanyu's skating but not his costumes lol but for him to continue skating afte rthe accident was absolutely irresponsible. In some ways it would have served him right and served others a valuable lessons - you are not superman/person so don't try to act like god. In some ways maybe some repercussions would have been helpful ie he didnèt make the GPF or there were injuries and not that I want him injured but people need to be more careful. Sadly there were no repercussions - he got the money, a GPF place and seems not to be injured - now again I donèt want him injured but this kind of conduct should not be condoned or celebrated, It all worked out for Hanyu but most of us are not so lucky as the golden boy :)
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Head injuries have been part of the sport one of the worst being to Bereshnaya. I believe there was a Canadian pairs team I saw (maybe Doug Laudret) where the male had to wear a helmet until a certain pint and then he threw it off into the audience. those lifts and twists can be dangerous not to mention spins. I think they need to take accidents more seriously. It really for some reason angers me or I am disapopointed that Hanyu and Han skated on; I donèt think this should be seen as heroic, brave or something to emulate.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I remember an interview with Christine Huff a short while after Doug Laudret's accident. She said they were at the hospital, talking to the doctor about his prognosis. She expected to learn when he could start stating again. Instead the doctor said, "we can't say, first we have to see if he lives through the night." It was many years ago, but that really stuck with me.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Cautionary tale from Marie-France Dubreuil (emphasis added):

On the mend: On Sept. 2, the French Skating Federation reported Papadakis suffered a concussion during a fall in practice. Dubreuil ... sustained a serious concussion during a rehearsal for ... Battle of the Blades in 2007.

"Like an idiot, I kept skating, and I'm still having side effects," Dubreuil said. "I was firm with [Papadakis] that she would not skate until she was mentally and physically strong enough. She is 20 years old and has a whole lifetime ahead of her.

"They were back on the ice for the first time (Monday), for 20 minutes. We will see how she feels, if she has any headaches, and if not, we will add more each day. We are doing this very carefully."


http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2015/09/15/149740278
 

Alex D

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 23, 2013
Concussions are a serious threat to any athlete, I saw many athletes pull out of competitions and future events because of them. Just recently, Genie Bouchard had to withdrawal at the US Open, as she slipped the night before in the locker rooms.

The biggest problem is to convince an athlete that a break is required, gladly most sports will have supervisors and doctors that can overrule an athletes decisions, as they are often unaware of the future consequences and only want to compete.


There are also huge issue in Wrestling and the Football leagues, many athletes compete with concussions and suffer severe brain damage over time. Chris Benoit even killed his whole family and I believe there was a similar case in football.
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I don't know why more people don't practice with some type of protection. Especially pairs skaters. It just makes sense.

I think one of the networks did a segment about skater's injuries after Paul Binnebose was hospitalized. it mentioned helmets, but the skaters said that they obstructed their view too much, which made their use more dangerous. Something more like a bicycle helmet might be less obstructive, but I'm sure it also affects the dynamics of jumps and spins, etc.

The public acknowledgement of the danger of repetitive concussions has grown immensely in the US during the last year to 2 years due to the many repeated incidences of violence in football players after retirement. One promising rookie decided to quit instead of risking his future health further - but he was a young man who knew what he wanted to do after football. many career athletes don't think beyond their football careers.

Will Smith is starring in Concussion, which is based upon the story of Dr Bennet Omalu who studied football related trauma.

In the US, a patient has the right to refuse treatment when seemingly cognizant. My presumption is that if a few basic questions can be answered (i.e. name, how many fingers am I holding up, do you have trouble with your vision, are you dizzy, etc.) and you weren't knocked unconscious, most people would presume that you are aware enough. I'm not saying it's right..... For an athlete, training and competing with injury is not unheard of - if anything encouraged as long as there's no long term repercussions, but not everyone has the support system that would encourage stopping at the right time.
 

solani

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Country
Austria
I'm all for helmets and protection in general but we have to keep in mind that head injuries happen very very rarely in singles skating, but happen rather often in pairs or ice dance. Pairs ladies are the ones who have the greatest risks. So I can understand the singles skaters when they don't want to use it, not only because it affects the field of vision, but also because of the weight.
As long as protection is not mandatory in competitions most of the athletes won't use it.
 

cheerknithanson

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Country
United-States
I'm all for helmets and protection in general but we have to keep in mind that head injuries happen very very rarely in singles skating, but happen rather often in pairs or ice dance. Pairs ladies are the ones who have the greatest risks. So I can understand the singles skaters when they don't want to use it, not only because it affects the field of vision, but also because of the weight.
As long as protection is not mandatory in competitions most of the athletes won't use it.

It's like for cheerleading. We do very complex stunts all the time and we wear NO protective headwear at all. Which yeah, I witnessed a few concussions in my lifetime.
 
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musicfan80

Medalist
Joined
May 20, 2015
I wanted to add this latest news to this topic: Hall of Fame player Frank Gifford suffered from CTE, family says
Frank Gifford Suffered from Brain Disease Related to Concussions, Family Reveals

Another sad example. Bravo to the Gifford family for coming forward with this news.

I understand that NFL football has A LOT more risk and than figure skating when it comes to impacts to the brain as well as concussions, but I hope that this news will increase awareness that these effects to the brain need to be taken seriously.

I am really happy that that Papadakis/Cizeron and Josh Farris are taking their time coming back in training and competition. I am proud that they seem to have support from their coaches and fans/friends. I don't care if they even come back to full form this season.
 
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