Prof. Isabelle Gagnon obtained an undergraduate at McGill University and then proceeded to the Montreal Children’s Hospital to work as a clinician/physiotherapist. Subsequently, she obtained her Masters and Doctorate at Montreal University. She then completed two post-doc, after which she moved to McGill. She is renowned for her research on concussion in children, which recently earned her a team research grant by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR).
Speaking on her trajectory from physiotherapist to traumatic brain injury researcher, Prof. Gagnon alluded to the fact that even though concussion (traumatic brain injury) in children was not a hot topic in the late 90’s, concussion was the focus of her masters research. Subsequently, when she set up her own lab in 2008 (in addition to being a clinician), she continued doing research on concussion in children. This research led to the creation of a follow up program focused on treating children with concussions. This program was the first of its kind in pediatrics in Canada.
When asked what causes concussion in children, Prof. Gagnon briefly elaborated on the subject.
“In children below five years, the main causes were falls, or being dropped. For children above five years, the causes range from falls to activities which involve a hit to the head from a ball” she said.
Previously, the link between sports and concussions in adults was established by Pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. Asked about the link between concussion in children and sports, “sports accounts for about 40% of concussions in children, while other activities include all kinds of leisure, including bicycling” she said.
She spoke further about the impacts of concussions and treatment options.
“One single concussion will leave no lasting deficit, with some symptoms completely going away after four weeks. Sometimes even after a year, there is next to no deficit. The typical symptoms include headaches and difficulty concentrating, which the patients eventually recover from. Multiple concussions (closely occurring together), however, is different. It is not known, if there are long term effects in children.” She said.
Furthermore, “adults recover from concussions within 10 days, and children recover as well. However, a common misconception about concussions in children is the prescription of long periods of rest without any stimulation. It has been shown that some level of activity, a good example is aerobic exercise in a limited manner helps resolve symptoms in children” she added.
Prof. Gagnon who is currently the Associate Professor at the School of Physical and Occupational therapy in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University continues to research on concussions in children and the effects of rehabilitation programs on recovery and fitness to resume normal activities. She believes that “people getting better information about concussion in children will ensure better outcomes for the children.”