Barnes: I don't feel right after concussions

[hench]

Waratahs fly half Berrick Barnes says that he has serious concerns about the number of headknocks that he has taken and if fearful that another one could end his season or even career.

Former fly half and inside centre Elton Flatley was forced to retire from rugby in 2006 after he suffered from continued blurred vision as a result of a number of concussions and the fear is that Barnes could suffer the same fate.

The Waratahs fly half missed last week's match against the Chiefs and has been ruled out of Saturday's match against Western Force after he suffered his second concussion in just three Super Rugby games this year.

Barnes knows that head injuries require the utmost of caution and he will have consultations with a specialist this week and then discuss with Waratahs officials how to avoid further damage.

"I have had a couple of concussions in a row, and I've had a history of them. At the moment, I don't feel right ," Barnes told WA Today.

"The reality is if I get hit in the head in the next coming week, we're talking months (off) to the whole season.

"I am not concerned long term at this stage, but it has been brought to the forefront, the risks with head injuries, and it could potentially curtail my career, and that is not what I want.

"When you get a couple of knocks in a row, how do you eliminate the risks when coming back straight away?

"It has been proven in the past that you're more susceptible to further head injuries, so I'll talk to everyone at the Waratahs about how we can prevent that from happening."

Barnes struggles to explain the ramifications of his latest injury which was caused by an unintentional elbow from giant Brumbies back-rower Ita Vaea but says that he does not feel well when he exerts himself.

"Just trying to run, it has affected me," Barnes said. "Until they clear it up, only I will know when that is, but it is hard to left weights.

"I had (a concussion) in 2009, and I was fine to come back then. I have just felt a bit more after this one."

Barnes has been training this week but doing some light running and watching on the sideline while the rest of the squad held a marathon two-hour training session yesterday.

The Wallaby is hoping that he will be able to return for next week's match against the Blues in Auckland but will not be rushed back as others players have done when they have suffered concussion.

"The thing with head injuries, they can talk about other people who have came back a week later, but it's horses for courses, one guy's head is different to another's," Barnes said.

"I am going to try to come back as soon as possible. You take all the medical reports, everything into it, and I am not going to be stupid."

"The season is longer now, it is a 1500 metre event rather than a sprint now.

"I am grateful that the Waratahs have also taken a safety-first view … team doctor Sharron Flahive has been great, (team manager) Chris Webb has been great."

Ironically Barnes wears a scrumcap for headgear but this has not prevented him from taking the two heavy knocks this year.

"You can only take as much protection as you can, I choose to wear one (headgear). "

"Obviously it hasn't been enough to stop the heavy knocks that I have had," he said.

 

[BRIX]

Healthy & swift recovery to you mate. Tenacious cattle-dog defender if I ever saw one

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Agree with that BRIX. Best of luck to him and it's good that he's taking precautions. No job is worth long term health problems.

 

[Newb]

nice to see this being taken seriously. each concussion makes you more susceptible, and we're only just beginning to understand the long term effects on the brain. extensive studies are being done on current and former NFL players and it's proving to have a huge effect on long term health. lots of ice hockey players have sat out for weeks because of concussions this season as well.

wish him the best and that he's back on the field.

 

[Gnostic]

What happened to the days where getting knocked out or concussed meant a mandatory month off?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

nice to see this being taken seriously. each concussion makes you more susceptible, and we're only just beginning to understand the long term effects on the brain. extensive studies are being done on current and former NFL players and it's proving to have a huge effect on long term health. lots of ice hockey players have sat out for weeks because of concussions this season as well.

wish him the best and that he's back on the field.

There is a suspicion that repeated knocks to the head contribute to Parkinson's Disease. Not sure if the medical evidence supports that though.

 

[Crow]

There is a suspicion that repeated knocks to the head contribute to Parkinson's Disease. Not sure if the medical evidence supports that though.

It's been linked to depression and Alzheimer's in NFL.
I know that there's a syndrome in boxing that's linked to concussions and in later stages one of the affects is Parkinson's.
Given the number and seriousness of concussions that Barnes has had over the years, if I were him, I'd be throwing in the towel.

 

[TheTruth]

Great to see the young fella addressing a possible lifelong problem - Best of luck

 

[#1 Tah]

So what further head protection can he wear besides headgear?

 

[Sully]

Some tin foil to stop the Alien mind control.

 

[Zeno]

Reading between the lines, I reckon BB is walking along a tightrope with the RWC at the far end. If he makes the squad he'll throw himself into it; if not....

 

[liquor box]

So what further head protection can he wear besides headgear?

Maybe he should try one of those mouthguards that is top and bottom. I once read that a mouthguard is suprisingly effective in stopping knockouts as the jaw smashing into the skull does a lot of damage

 

[liquor box]

What happened to the days where getting knocked out or concussed meant a mandatory month off?

I think we had to have 2 weeks off in U19's

 

[Richo]

Yep to the mouthguards. There is a huge amount of research being done in the States and a lot of excellent new mouthguard technologies coming out.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Maybe he should try one of those mouthguards that is top and bottom. I once read that a mouthguard is suprisingly effective in stopping knockouts as the jaw smashing into the skull does a lot of damage

I remember a doctor saying precisely the same thing to me when I was playing colts years ago. I got a properly moulded mouth guard as a result.

 

[Ash]

If I recall correctly, there's also some studies which say that headgear does not do much in terms of actually stopping concussions. Not sure on the accuracy of those studies, or how they relate to today's headgear.

 

[Rob42]

If it's anything like the research I read a long time ago about shinguards in soccer, headgear is probably quite effective in stopping damage from high-velocity, low energy impacts (eg some head-clashes, stray elbow or forearm without much bodyweight behind it), but not much use against low-velocity, high-energy collisions (eg head-on impact with a hip) - there's nothing which can make a big difference in that latter sort of situation.

Surprising that a guy with such excellent tackling technique should fall victim to this - hope it doesn't endanger his long-term prospects either on or off the field.

 

[Ruggo]

If I recall correctly, there's also some studies which say that headgear does not do much in terms of actually stopping concussions. Not sure on the accuracy of those studies, or how they relate to today's headgear.

Supported somewhat by the fact that both Faltley and Barnes wear it religously.

 

[DPK]

From my own limited experience, with a head on hip collision you'd need headgear as thick as TPN's hair for it to make a difference. (The fro is a disturbingly accurate comparison in terms of size...)

 

[Ash]

For the (anecdotal) record, I've only ever worn headgear a few times (as I tended to lose the blasted thing constantly at training). One of those few times I was wearing headgear was the only time I've ever been knocked out in a game of rugby.

And if you're wondering why I got headgear, it's because my ears were getting mullered when packing practice scrums against the scrum machine (and not for the scrums in the actual game). Those blasted practice scrums vs the scrum machine are always so much tighter than the scrums in the actual game.