Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Your researchers at work: hockey surprise

I'd like to thank my reader NLK for submitting this.

Okay, gang. The reputable Journal of the American Medical Association has apparently decided to demonstrate that idiotic research is done not only in the U.S. (and Haifa, but that's a city, not a country) but also by our friendly neighbors to the north.

Yes, a team of Canadian researchers has made the stunning discovery that hockey players who give and receive body checks during a game are more likely to suffer serious injuries than hockey players who don't.

I am not making this up.

The original article, if you must read it yourself, is:


Risk of Injury Associated With Body Checking Among Youth Ice Hockey Players

JAMA. 2010;303(22):2265-2272.

28 comments:

Angela said...

... I once did a massive research paper in head injuries in youth hockey players in contact leagues...

yup... Got to love pointless research!

xx
Jaxs

Anonymous said...

What? Adding some more paper trail to the body of evidence?

The Mother said...

I saw that today. Hysterical (not in a uterine way, since we're not talking about women's hockey).

Kat's Kats said...

::hand to forehead:: No! No! Say it isn't so!! ::rolls eyes::


I did a year of grad work in Experimental Psych. We had a class all about this kind of thing... and how bad it was... and how we should never ever ever ever (no, not ever!) do it... even though it was becoming ridiculously hard to come up with an original thesis yada yada yada.

Anonymous said...

Is that like people either go out or stay in on NYE? At least that's what my friend's Mom thinks. Maybe we will write it up as well.

Anonymous said...

You want to know what is even sadder, Doctor Grumpy? I listen to CBC Radio at work, which is our national media, and this was the NUMBER ONE NEWS STORY. Top headline, discussed during every hourly news update.
I realize this may make Canadians sound like idiots but it's really more about our obsession with hockey.

Canuck said...

I think the point is that many leagues want to outlaw checking/contact in children's hockey. But we're obsessed with it (both hockey and the physical contact).

So, research like this is being done to prove that checking actually does lead to further injuries. I know, it's obvious and the research seems pointless, but unless there is scientific evidence to back it up, a LOT of people will continue to defend checking/contact play because "it's all a part of the game".

Equate it to the research done to prove that seatbelts save lives. It seems like that should be common sense, but that small percentage of the population still needed to have it proven to them before they'd use their seatbelt.

Anonymous said...

I think all Doctors should have a major surgery/ exstreme pain and no meds to take so they can get a small taste of how pain really feels! How would any of you know what any full contact sport feels like pushing pencils and sitting on you rumps all day! Do some back braking laber just one month instead of standing around all day or sitting for a few hours and and walking alittle! Lift 50 to 80 lbs every 15 minutes on production for 12 hours then run your mouths!

Anonymous said...

I do hope you read it! Its the truth! But bet your too proud to post it because your always right! I had a joke of a Doctor cut me open and ruin my back!He could have fused my back the right way by taking bone from my hip and putting it where my 2 disc use to be... But he did the cheap surgery... he put shavings of bone in cemment and tried to grow bone! Did not work ... so suprise! That means he gets another 20,000.00 to cut me open again! Health care has become a way to make greedy doctors rich in the USA! I got your numbers now! They blow my disc out with a disc-a-gram! Had no time to reasch my options at the time! Now I know and I will tell all I see and keep on till I die! I know pain everyday!!!!! All day no releif! I did the surgery so I could get better! No pain pills! Injections anymore right? Lies!!!!!!!!!!! What a Joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have spent thousands on more spinal injection/ pain meds that make me sick on my stomach! All I wanted was better!!!!! Bet your too chicken to print the truth!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

westward ho! i sense a migration coming. if you live in quebec, and want your child to play real hockey, move to alberta. or north dakota.

terri c said...

Gosh. Just--gosh. They did kind of give away the outcome in the first couple sentences, destroying the suspense...

Kimbra Kasch said...

Stew-ped

Anonymous said...

lool cant believe people waste money on this but then again im doing a study at the moment into why people become obese im pretty sur my findings are they eat too much and do little excersize. but then ive got to do this for my college course :(

ROSIE said...

Irony: the word verification box for posting this comment is "SYLLY".

ROSIE said...

Well if you've got to take the kids to hockey practice anyhow, it's a great way to use that grant money and get a paper published. Multitasking at its finest. (cough cough) ;)

The RPh said...

Anon at 11:20-----Whoa!!! What exactly did you think the article was about? No one said ANYTHING about back pain, or your inability to treat it. The post is about articles that get published about things that everyone should already know. I am sorry that you are in pain, but this blog is not the forum for your anger and bitterness. It is a humor blog.




(word verf is backi....too funny!)

Anonymous said...

I don't know about anyone else but the outcome of my reading of the "Results" portion of this article was crossed eyes and drooling.

Queen Silly Britches said...

Thank you RPh for speaking up. Anon @11:20 you need to take a chill pill. I think it's pretty pathetic that people need to have research done to prove to them something that is pretty obvious. This is like saying research needs to be done to prove that jumping off of a cliff will injure/kill you. Maybe I'm just naive, but is humanity really this stupid?

Packer said...

9 out of 10 dentist recommend full contact hockey to all of their patients. Hey student loans and all that.

Rothase said...

What's up with Anon 11:20? Out of respect for Dr. Grumpy and the others who regularly read here, I will contain my inner English teacher. However, your misspelled comments are not relevant to a humor blog. I have had 8 or 9 surgeries (honestly I lost track) in my 40-something years and they hurt. A lot. And I get killer migraines. But you don't hear me taking it out on Dr. Grumpy. What's he gonna do? Mail me some Imitrex? Send me some secret potion that will melt away all the surgical scars so I don't look like the Bride of Frankenstein in a bikini? Dr. Grumpy makes me laugh, and that's all I want from him. So, Anon, chill out and go troll elsewhere.

ndenunz said...

Did anyone else catch the recent NEJM article that stated interns and residents with a lighter patient load had better job satisfaction?

Anonymous said...

anon @ 1104- i have done the backbreaking labor. for the money. i have loved the contact sports (rugby, wrestling, soccer the way i played it), and had a joint replacement before 50. and i am more exhausted after a day of clinic than labor or sports ever caused. so piss off, you ignorant bastard.

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked that JAMA published this. Letting these Canadians ruin the American name! ;)

I sincerely hope this isn't related to anyone's doctoral thesis.

Anonymous said...

shiiiiiiiit. and it even made it into JAMA... which is one of the big name Western journals. i'm embarrassed.

Loki said...

Yanno, Dr. Grumpy, for the first time I disagree with you about the relative mockery value for a study you've posted. I don't disagree with you about the obviousness of the results of such a study, but there are always going to be people who resist change (especially to their beloved sport) on the basis of, "Well, I did it, and came out okay, so there must be no risk."

That their reasoning is flawed doesn't detract from the utility of studies such as this one to be able to prove to fence-sitters that those people advocating change do have evidence, not just gut feelings or logic, on their side.

My two cents - and worth at least twice what you paid for it. ;)

Texas Pharmacy Chica said...

I agree with RPh:

Anon at 11:20 needs to go troll somewhere else. Dr. Grumpy - I can't believe you fell for it???

wv: pinness

Unknown said...

The main argument *for* body checking in childrens hockey is that they need to learn it early to prevent injuries when they're older/bigger/tougher/harder/etc, so I understand why this study was done.

However, it really doesn't make sense, if this wasn't obvious to anybody, then they simply don't understand contact sports.

A better study would probably be to compare the next level up where in Alberta AND Quebec body checking is allowed, and see whether this argument has any merit. As it is, this study is ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

People love to find reasons to continue to receive grants to do ridiculous research that keep them from having to find real jobs. Notice too that most of the conclusions of many studies is... "more research is needed"...IF you design a study right, you should get some useful information....

 
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