The departure of third-year defenseman Travis Young from Acadia and the Axemen hockey program due to the effects of multiple concussions leaves us with the sobering thought this type of injury can impact a lot more than a hockey career.

Young suffered his latest concussion - his second such injury within the past 12 months and at least his seventh overall - as the result of a clean, shoulder-to-shoulder hit during a Dec. 28 exhibition game in Moncton.

From all accounts, it happened on a relatively innocent play in open ice but, due to Young's previous history of concussions, it resulted in his dropping out of school and returning to his native Manitoba to recuperate.

One can only hope Young, from all accounts an excellent student as well as a popular and well-liked young man, will be able to resume his studies, hopefully as early as this fall.

There's likely little question the injury spells the end of his competitive hockey career.

Are there more concussions in sport than there used to be, or does it only appear that way? And, if so, why?

Acadia kinesiology professor and head athletic therapist Dr. Jim MacLeod believes there are no more concussions than in the past, and certainly fewer really serious ones.

The biggest difference today, he says, is with awareness.

The medical profession has a better idea of what concussions entail, and is better able to diagnose them. The management of concussions has also improved.

In the past, concussions were “graded� - Class 1, 2, 3 or 4, according to their perceived severity. They are now identified, and subsequently managed and treated, on an individual basis, with the knowledge and understanding every concussion - and every individual who suffers one - is different.

Doctors now differentiate between a concussion - literally, a “shakeup� of the brain inside the skull cavity - and a “cerebral contusion,� a more serious injury involving actual injury to the brain, including the possibility of internal bleeding.

Many victims of what were probably minor concussions simply “shook it off� and returned to action, maybe too quickly and, arguably, at risk to their long-term health, though they likely didn't know it or realize it at the time.

Today, a lot more concern is shown for head or brain injuries, and the days of “toughing it out� are thankfully gone. It's not, MacLeod says, that there are any more concussions, as much as they are being noticed more and better reported.

Research has shown for an individual - such as Young - that suffers multiple concussions, the effects are cumulative: you can become more sensitive and susceptible to symptoms with each subsequent jarring of the brain.

While doctors can recommend a course of action, the best person to assess the severity of a concussion and its effects is always the person himself.

MacLeod knows from experience anyone who has “had their bell rung� should probably sit out at least a game, but he has known of players able to return to action the following day with no ill effects. “Everyone is different,� he says.

Asked if the fact today's athletes are bigger and stronger may be a factor in the frequency and severity of concussions, MacLeod suggests it might, along with the fact equipment, in hockey, for example, is lighter and more solid than it used to be.

At the same time, he feels new rules and standards of officiating, aimed at cutting down stickwork and enforcing penalties like charging or boarding, are making a difference.

Research has shown there are both “impact� concussions, which involve a direct hit, and “impulse� concussions, where the head experiences a degree of whiplash, the brain moves more within the skull and there is more chance of long-term damage.

The concussion Young suffered last January was in the latter category; while he was fully cleared medically to play this fall, it was with the understanding another concussion might end his career - which is what appears to have happened.

While rough play is part of sport - some sports more than others, MacLeod applauds advances like last year’s Prague Protocol, which made individual diagnosis of concussions standard practice and “did away with the 'cookie-cutter' approach.�

Even though there don't seem to be as many serious concussions, and even with better diagnosis and management, he feels “there are still too many - always too many.�