The Ontario legislature recently passed Rowan’s Law, the first piece of legislation that addresses concussions and concussion management in Canada. The act specifically governs the management of youth concussions in all sports. Ontario is the first province to implement a law that manages youth concussions in Canada. In contrast to the United States, where every one of the 50 states has a law dictating the management of youth concussions, Canada had to be reminded by the death of Rowan Stringer in 2013 for the need of a better concussion management system.
Rowan’s Story
Rowan Stringer was just 17 when she passed away on Mother’s Day of 2013. Rowan was playing rugby for her high school in Ottawa when she was tackled to the ground by an opponent and landed with her head taking the full force of her fall. She was put on life support, but never regained consciousness. During the inquest in Ottawa, reports confirmed that Rowan took multiple hits while playing rugby before May 8th and suffered from Second Impact Syndrome, a condition in which a second concussion occurs before the first one had not healed.
Many doctors and her parents believe that Rowan’s death could have been prevented. Before her last game, Rowan Googled concussion, but failed to understand the symptoms and make the decision to sit out the game. This reflects the lack of concussion education that players in youth sports are receiving in Canada.
The Law
Rowan’s law was adopted by the Government of Ontario on June 7th, after over a year following the inquest to Rowan’s death. The Act calls for a governing committee for all head injuries in youth sports, both school-based and non-school based. The jury at Rowan’s inquest highlighted 49 recommendations that included included mandatory concussion education for players, coaches, and parents, as well as strict medical clearances for all concussed athletes to return to their sport. Read all the jury’s recommendations here.
Dr. Charles Tator, the neurosurgeon who led the coroner’s inquest to Rowan’s death stated, “the knowledge of preventing concussions and preventing them from getting worse is there, but the knowledge has not been translated into action.” Dr. Tator also explains that because of the huge number of neural connections that are being made during adolescence, he believes that the adolescent brain is the most sensitive to the effects of concussion. While the Canadian governing bodies for professional sports such as the NHL and CFL have strict concussion protocols in place, not a lot has been done for youth sports across the country. A 2014 poll from the Canadian Concussion Collaborative reported that just 41% of national and provincial organizations that represent concussion-prone sports had concussion management protocols in place. Ontario’s concussion management system is about to be improved, but the rest of the provinces will need to follow up with a strategy similar to Rowan’s law.
If you have any further questions about concussions or about concussion management protocols, our PrecisionCare Physiotherapy clinics have concussion management certified therapists who would be happy to answer your questions!
Email us at: askburquitlamphysio@gmail.com
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