Concussions and Protecting Our Players

[Strewthcobber]

And is the evidence there that amateurs are at risk too? Or does it only affect pros?

There isn't enough research to say yet.

Edit...and to add the risk for pros isn't yet well understood either.

What does seem to be true....if your head decelerates often enough and quickly enough then you are at risk of acquiring CTE, which can only be fully diagnosed after death.

We don't know how often, or how quickly, but it seems like a lot of times, over many years.

Amateurs and even U13 juniors record HAEs when they wear the mouth guards, but obviously, generally it's a lower level than pros.

American footballers, where a lot of the research has been done so far, who never played pro have been diagnosed post-mortem

 

[Adam84]

Potentially, there could be subsequent studies that demonstrate the force/velocity/frequency of these impacts at an amateur and junior level are below a level that requires intervention, and it's only in the professional environment that it becomes a more concerning issue.

As far as i'm aware, the majority of these studies have focused on professional players, who are facing forces and collisions on a more regular basis then you would expect at an amateur level.

 

[PhilClinton]

And is the evidence there that amateurs are at risk too? Or does it only affect pros?

There are guys here who are much more in-tune with the research being done and whether it reflects risks to amateurs.

But anecdotally, I've got a mate who played 200+ games of club rugby and is now showing signs of brain trauma, he's 37 years old and throughout his playing career was only ever removed from the field twice for concussion.

Whilst there is an argument that professional players are more seriously at risk due to the level of impacts and repeated impacts during a game, there is also the factor that lower grade players aren't as skilled and can get themselves into worse positions. I've seen more blokes taken from the field due to a head knock in subbies than I have in 1st grade due to poor tackling technique.

 

[Strewthcobber]

There was a pretty high profile study put out a couple of years ago, that had this as it's key finding, along with the risk being length of playing career - but a pretty small and selective sample

Regarding neuropathological findings, CTE was present in 21 of 31 (68%) brains of former rugby players examined, a majority of whom (13/21; 62%) played solely at amateur level.

The big issue is this can only be diagnosed by examining a deceased persons brain - these brains were donated by families that thought there may be an issue

Risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in rugby union is associated with length of playing career | Acta Neuropathologica https://share.google/MEgWx5DZeGHLmh9zf

 

[Dctarget]

There was a pretty high profile study put out a couple of years ago, that had this as it's key finding, along with the risk being length of playing career - but a pretty small and selective sample


The big issue is this can only be diagnosed by examining a deceased persons brain - these brains were donated by families that thought there may be an issue

Risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in rugby union is associated with length of playing career | Acta Neuropathologica https://share.google/MEgWx5DZeGHLmh9zf

Mhm that stat shows it can happen but without a proper sample it's impossible to draw too much.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Mhm that stat shows it can happen but without a proper sample it's impossible to draw too much.

Yep, this is exactly the issue. It can happen, but at the moment we don't know how/what/why/when etc

 

[Upthemaroon!]

Felt like I was back in uni reading all this; but one of the larger studies (with a follow up, which is important in this case as cognitive disease are progressive) shows that for the non elite athletes, concussion does not result in lower cognitive scores down the line. (https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/publications/2025746)

So the impact of jogging into old mate Steve on a Saturday is less than being a professional rugby player. Playing sport as an amateur will have more upsides than downsides. It is just that on the higher levels of amateur rugby, we see this professionalization come through now that pulls a lot of blokes into that semi-pro/pro intensity but with even less of a system to protect them around it.

Interestingly enough in a study done in Scotland, professional rugby players are 15 times more likely to develop MND than the general population. Which is a crazy stat. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36195436/)

 

[PhilClinton]

Article in the Gold Coast Bulletin this week about the 'RUNIT' games and their unofficial knockoffs and the legal implications of potential brain trauma.

Good to see the negative aspects getting airtime. I think most people I speak too now are mocking it rather than supporting.