Hockey

The Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Research team is influencing the game of hockey through concussion research by developing new safety protocols and methods to identify a concussion sooner. Some current areas of research interest include:

• Objective concussion diagnosis and quantification of severity
• Utilizing subsymptom threshold exercise training to return athletes with concussions to pre-head-trauma status
• Cervical spine strengthening for concussion injury prevention
• Hockey injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation
• Interpreting ice hockey head impact data from accelerometers

Objective Concussion Diagnosis and Quantification of Severity: A Process Essential to the Brain Health of Hockey Players and to the 'Ice to Axon' Research

In this study, co-principal investigators Aynsley M. Smith, Ph.D., R.N., and Michael J. Stuart, M.D., are researching objective diagnostic measures for concussion, including blood biomarkers, quantified EEG and the King-Devick test. Prompt, cost-effective, point-of-care objective methods to diagnose and quantify severity of concussive injuries are critical to ensure athletes of all ages are safely removed from and cleared to return to play. Additionally, potential treatment effects can be evaluated only on athletes accurately and objectively diagnosed.

Videos

Michael J. Stuart, M.D., is featured in this USA Hockey video featuring an important safety initiative helping hockey players play smarter, safer hockey.

Dr. Stuart discusses Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center's Ice Hockey Summit II: Action on Concussion. The summit brought together experts from across the sport of hockey to discuss the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of concussions.

Publications

Review research publications on concussions in ice hockey by Mayo Clinic sports medicine researchers.