Page 5 - Report Concussion News Today

Particularly good about it, really. but as the sport turned professional, rugby union relied more on advice from external experts. in 2008, the concussion in sport group said it was ok to come back within seven days. and we had three weeks. and, in my innocence, i thought, "well, these guys know a lot "more about it than me, because i havent got enough "experience in all this yet." and...i sort of accepted that. do you now regret going along with that decision to bring it down from three weeks t...

Theres always the risk of injury. we had one of those big kind of anniversary games and i got dropped on my head and i had a huge seizure. i had a ct scan to check for brain bleeds. no brain bleed. so a couple of weeks later, im back at training, im back in pre—season. come on, lets go for it, alex. lets go for it, alex! nic evans has played for wales. she also says she played for her club after a major concussion. every single time i trained, every single time my heart rate went up, i felt si...

What was the learning curve for you about the dangers of concussion, and that a head knock wasntjust something you could get up and carry on with? actually, there was a little bit of a finger in the air, you know? i mean, ive been on many coaching qualification courses and very little was spoken about concussion, you know, and thats why i felt vulnerable when incidents happen. you know, as a coach, you know, what position would i have been in to make a decision on a player the following week? wh...

Its a difficult one to compare two different sports, because they are different. you know, theyre totally different. indeed, head injuries are more frequent in rugby than american football. well, again, you know, i dont want to start, you know, talking about other sports, etc. im here just to talk about rugby union. you know, we have to look at, you know, the science. we will never sit still when it comes to safety within the game. that is the overriding and clear message that, as a governing bo...

Everyone wants more research. but the dangers of concussion have been discussed for decades. so how much did rugby union know about it? well, more than you might think. as far back as 1975, the then international rugby board held a medical conference in dublin where head injuries were discussed, and they were warned by neurosurgeon geoffrey vanderfield that concussions needed to be taken seriously, as even a slight injury could be life—threatening. the rugby authorities reacted, ruling players...

Playing a contact sport are twice as likely to suffer concussion than men. what this evidence is telling us is that — funnily enough — males and females are different. and this one—size—all approach to concussion, which is based almost exclusively on research in men — its not going to fit. were not really hearing any female voices on this. and if women are going to hit their 40s, 50s, 60s, working age and have a risk of dementia, then thats a real negligence, isnt it? with former playe...

So, from that point of view, get them off the park. there are more red cards for high tackles. commentator: wayne barnes is going for his pocket. - oh, its that one — its red. thats a clear attack on the head. its a red card, nothing else. and anyone suspected of taking a big hit is taken off for a head injury assessment or hia — even if they dont want to go. leaving a player with concussion on the park puts them at much greater risk of more severe injury and prolonged symptoms in recovery. ...

Parentsjust like me. hands, boys! hands! get closer to him, please. on a day like this, you can easily see the benefits and the fun of playing rugby. and these kids are just starting out. what i want to know — as a coach and as a parent, and with so much in the news now about concussion and rugby — whether those who run our game have done enough over the years to make sure its as safe as it can possibly be. it may be making headlines today, but concussion in rugby has been on the news agenda...

We spoke to the welsh rugby union. national medical manager prav matheema had plans to better protect players. we need to take the responsibility out of players hands, as well, because on numerous occasions they wont report concussion. so stakeholders such as referees, as i mentioned before, coaches, pitch—side practitioners, first aiders, etc, need to be given that responsibility, as well. a reassuring message. but did it hit home? a few years ago, academics here at cardiff metropolitan unive...

I think what came into consideration was, we dont want to damage the game too much as far as the commercial side goes. we want players back, and if you can find a justification for them to get back, we want them back as soon as we can. world rugby told us they always put player welfare first above any other considerations — commercial or otherwise. as dr 0driscoll was resigning, this young players career was taking off. youth international adam hughes was one of several top academy players aim...