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Health

VIDEO: Girls and concussions

Girls have higher rates of concussions than boys in basketball, soccer and other high school sports, say researchers who are trying to understand why.

Females and concussions

13 years ago
Duration 6:19
Sports researchers are trying to learn why there are higher incidences of concussions among females than males, CBC's Kelly Crowe reports

Girls have higher rates of concussions than boys in basketball, soccer and other high school sports, say researchers who are trying to understand why.

To find out, scientists at Ohio State University are tracking concussion rates in players of both sexes.

Aconcussionended Delaney Collins' hockey career, keeping her out of the Olympics.

Collins tried to hide her symptoms of concussion after she was clipped by another player's skate and went head first into the boards during an exhibition game.

"I said I was fine, and I was sitting on the bench and my ears were screaming,"Collins recalled. "I thought someone pulled the fire alarm."

But are female players more likely to report symptoms of concussion than males?

Dawn Comstock and her colleagues at Ohio State are trying to answer that. They're also looking for any other physiological differences, such as neck muscle strength between female and male players.

The research is just starting.