The New York Times reports that Girls Are Often Neglected Victims of Concussions, though they don’t really manage to explain why.
“Generally speaking, the medical profession does not do a very good job in recognizing that female athletes sustain concussions at an equal or even higher rate as males,” said Dr. Robert Cantu of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, one of the nation’s leading experts in concussion management. “It’s flying under the radar. And as a result, looking for concussions in women is not pursued with the same diligence, and it’s setting girls up for a worse result.”The article also touches on some of the dilemmas posed by university sports scholarships - in this case, their lure can keep girls on the field even if they have already had a couple concussions and are at risk of post-concussion syndrome. Sports scholarships are relatively uncommon in Canada, but that doesn’t keep Canadian girls from competing for American scholarships.
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That's so strange. I can't think why doctors would be worse at recognising it - would it be because they don't expect girls to get roughed up, to play as hard as boys, or because sometimes doctors downplay what women say?
I'm always surprised by these statistics - even though I've had doctors (both male and female) who were absent-minded or didn't listen, I always assumed that they just treated everyone that way. To hear that women really do get different treatment is so disturbing.
Posted by Thea
October 3, 2007, 9:27 AM
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