CONCUSSIONS IN WOMEN By Elizabeth MacGregor
Elizabeth MacGregor is a retired educator, guidance counsellor and head of guidance whose career was cut short by a concussion.
Twice as likely to suffer with recoveries hampered by a lack of clinical knowledge Concussions can dramatically change a woman’s life.
She noted a much larger decline in (female athlete)
A less well-known fact is that women are twice as
reaction times. Concussed female athletes also
likely as men to suffer concussions and the effects
tend to show greater deficits in visual memory
are often more severe. They’re also almost twice as
(though not every study has been able to detect this
likely as males to show signs of cognitive impairment
difference). Following a concussion, female athletes
a few days after experiencing a concussion.
also seem to perform worse than males on a test of
Not knowing these differences puts women at a huge risk of receiving inappropriate assessments, medical advice and care. David Robson explored this in the January 31, 2020 issue of BBC Future: “Tracey Covassin, now based at Michigan State University, has been one of the leading researchers looking at potential sex differences in concussion. Canadian by birth, and
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the vestibular-ocular reflex – which allows our eyes to fix on a target as our body moves.” These athletes with vestibular-ocular reflex damage are at high risk of further concussions as they may not see an opponent who is approaching on their damaged side. Ms. Covassin also refers to a fogginess that can make them more prone to other kinds of accidents and falls.
inspired by her own love of ice hockey, when she
Besides sports, people can be concussed from
first started out 20 years ago, she found next to no
automobile accidents, falls, and domestic violence.
research on this subject.
These other causes of concussion also have a higher
SIDEONE OCTOBER 2020
