September 27 - October 3 is National Concussion Awareness Week
September 27 to October 3, 2026 marks National Concussion Awareness Week. In conjunction, the Sport Information Resource Centre has released the results of a large-scale sport-focused survey on the state of concussion awareness in Canada. The report can be viewed here.
It’s reported that more than 200,000 Canadians experience a concussion each year - many from sports or physical activity. A concussion is defined as a brain injury that can’t be seen on routine X-rays, CT scans or MRIs. It affects the way a person may think and remember things, and can cause a variety of symptoms. Any blow to the head, face or neck, or a blow to the body that jars your head, could cause a concussion.
Research on and understanding of concussions and their effects has come a long way since I was a kid: gone are the days of staying in a dark and quiet room. But there’s still a gap in recognizing the signs of concussion and then knowing how to proceed. Parachute is Canada’s premier injury prevention charity, and as such, they offer a wide variety of resources to help bridge the knowledge gap, including specific information on concussions in young children, which can present differently than in older children and adults, and concussions in people 65+.
In general:
Signs and symptoms of a concussion:
Physical:
Headache
Pressure in the head
Dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Blurred vision
Sensitivity to light or sound
Ringing in the ears
Balance problems
Feeling tired or low energy
Drowsiness
“Don’t feel right”
Cognitive:
Not thinking clearly
Feeling slowed down
Feeling like “in a fog”
Problems concentrating
Memory problems
Emotional:
Easily upset or angered
Sadness
Nervous or anxious
Feeling more emotional
Sleep-related:
Sleeping more or less than usual
Having a hard time falling asleep
In all cases, if a concussion is suspected, the person should stop the activity right away and should be checked out by a medical professional.
For more information, check out the resources at parachute.ca and https://sirc.ca/safety-in-sport/concussion/.
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