Sports and head injuries

[Bedford Roughyed]

Quite a few sports will be having to have deep conversations on how to protect players whilst not changing the fundamentals of the sport.

 

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[Bleep1673]

A deeply upsetting theory, but as Matt Dawson has said, we knew what we were getting into when we signed up.

Otherwise take up knitting. (watch out for the pointy ends).

[Bleep1673]

Diego Maradona managed to avoid the head injuries by hand balling the ball into the goal.

[ivans82]

I fear there will be alot more said on this subject , as the modern method of bulking up and prioritising strength , power and aggression will only add to the problem .

[JohnM]

On 12/12/2020 at 22:15, Bleep1673 said:

A deeply upsetting theory, but as Matt Dawson has said, we knew what we were getting into when we signed up.

Otherwise take up knitting. (watch out for the pointy ends).

I don't think that was the case though. The long term damage caused by a high number of relatively mild head shocks over many years is only now coming to light.

[Bleep1673]

38 minutes ago, JohnM said:

I don't think that was the case though. The long term damage caused by a high number of relatively mild head shocks over many years is only now coming to light.

So ban all contact sports where head injuries are likely will result in Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis & chess, being the only sports allowed. Dont tell Boris though. His Puritan Government are already doing well at banning all kinds of fun.

[JohnM]

Carry on research. Take note of results. Modify training regime if necessary. Introduce appropriate medical checks for pro players Only change game rules if necessary. 

[Bleep1673]

Wrap our sports stars in cotton wool, and three inches of sofa foam, and you will still find someone who whinges about Health & Safety. You sign up and play the sport, you know the dangers, would Ayreton Senna, or Jim Clark, or Nikki Lauda complain about a bruise to the head.

Superleague 2024 will be tag Rugby, no contact, covid rules.

Is that what we want?

[Bleep1673]

Ban Contact sports, that's what our puritanical Government want in 2021, no sport, no alcohol, no fun, no theatre, no mixing with friends, or family, online shopping/take away food (with delivery charge) only

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I do wonder what the increased awareness of these kind of injuries in the modern day will do to participation levels in contact sports. A lot of parents certainly will not want their children taking part in a sport that has the potential to cause these kinds of injuries and a lot of children who are wanting to get into sport will surely pick something safer. 

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[Liverpool Rover]

I’m not sure that RL will survive this century unless major changes are made such as strict restrictions on full contact sessions, maybe reducing the yards that defences have to retreat to try and reduce the impact of tackles and there is the nuclear option of going back to part time to depower players.

All contact sports are in the same boat and might not survive. I have seen that studies have shown that professional rugby and football players have a much higher risk of developing Dementia, MND and Parkinson’s than average because as well as blows to the head, blows to the spine could affect the central nervous system.

[Damien]

I saw this today about Australia's Will Pucovski and thought it was interesting as Cricket isn't a sport that is normally mentioned when it comes to concussion:

By this time, concussions were alarmingly frequent too.

Pucovski has suffered nine concussions in his 22 years, a barely believable and worrying statistic.

The first came in an Australian Rules Football game as a teenager. The causes of the other eight include bouncers, a dive to complete a run, a blow in the field and a door in his home.

Last year, Pucovski said his "brain has probably been through a bit more than your average 22-year-old's" and as a result he has to do "a bit more rehab" to perform for Australia.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/55571309

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[Bedford Roughyed]

 

[ivans82]

Never mind Rugby League and Football , where does this leave boxing ?

[bobbruce]

18 hours ago, ivans82 said:

Never mind Rugby League and Football , where does this leave boxing ?

I’ve thought that myself in the past and never really understood how boxing can continue you’d think as soon as someone is knocked down the bout should be over. The only thing I can think of is because it’s part of the rules in boxing to hit people in the head the participants know what they are getting into and accept the risks. In RL/RU being hit in the head isn’t part of the game so it’s the game’s responsibility to protect the players from it. 

[bobbruce]

11 hours ago, Saint 1 said:

Surely the same argument could be made for RL/RU about accepting the risks though? I've often wondered the same thing myself. 

As I say head contact in RL isn’t/shouldn’t be part of the risks. If a player has issues in later life and can look at his medical history and it turns out he had 20/30 bouts of concussion through his career can the RFL say they did everything to prevent this. 

[Red Willow]

I see a couple of Womens teams are joining the trial with mouth guards that measure impact.

[Red Willow]

My Dad died about 18mths ago and a contribution factor was dementia. He played a lot of football as a young man, playing for Salford boys etc. He could have had trials at a local professional club but his dad wouldn't let him. He played until his mid 30s. Discussing him recently with Mum I wondered if this career was a factor. My Mum named at least half of his fellow team mates all having dementia. Whether the change to lighter balls will lessen the effects remains to be seen.

 

Really should be interesting to see the data from the various sports using the impact mouth guards

[Bedford Roughyed]