According to Drake, the professionalization of rugby in the 1990s has led to drastic changes in the game. Players have become bigger and more powerful, necessitating heightened attention to the potential consequences of increased impacts on their bodies. It is crucial that more is done to protect players without any delay.
A recent study compared 44 elite rugby players with a controlled sample. Using advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, the study revealed that playing rugby can be associated with structural changes in the brain that may go unnoticed with conventional brain scans.
The examination of changes in white-matter brain volume involved 18 rugby players, and it found a loss in brain volume in half of the players. Comparatively, it found a decrease in 25% of the brain volume in an older control sample.
Lead author Prof David Sharp, along with support from University College London, stated that the unexpected changes in white-matter volume may indicate long-term effects and abnormalities in brain connections.
Karl Zimmerman, from Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, expressed concern about the findings but also emphasized the wider health benefits of sports and physical exercise for the community.
Dr. Simon Kemp, the RFU medical services director, welcomed the research and announced the establishment of a specialist brain clinic for retired rugby players between the ages of 30 and 55. This initiative, in partnership with Premiership Rugby, will be supported by a £2.5 million investment.
The RFU will also launch a two-year mouthguard project in collaboration with all Premiership clubs to evaluate the occurrence and severity of head impacts. The Allianz Premier 15s will become the first domestic women’s league to introduce temporary head injury assessments.
The trial conducted with the Harlequins men’s and Bristol Bears women’s squad earlier this year found that forwards experienced more contact than backs. It also identified that the ruck posed the greatest risk of head impact exposure, both in training and competition, while lower-body tackles resulted in less intense impacts.
The RFU aims to establish a standardized categorization of training activities with all clubs, the England senior men’s and women’s national teams, and age grade teams. The goal is to reduce player exposure to head impacts by eliminating unnecessary impacts, as emphasized by Damian Hopley, chief executive of the Rugby Players’ Association.
Shocked MPs condemn British sport’s inaction concerning brain injuries
By Jeremy Wilson
A scathing report from a parliamentary inquiry has accused British sport of neglecting the devastating issue of brain injuries and specifically criticized the Football Association for its inadequate response to the dementia crisis in the sport.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee also rebuked the Health and Safety Executive for leaving the responsibility of player welfare to unaccountable governing bodies. The committee expressed shock at the testimonies of witnesses who had suffered neurological injuries.
The committee is now urging the government to require sports to report all head impacts that could impair cognitive function or contribute to brain injuries to a new national framework established by the HSE. They also recommend the creation of a specialized concussion group with protocols based on the precautionary principle.
Witnesses in the inquiry included Dawn Astle, the daughter of former England player Jeff; Chris Sutton, whose father Mike was also a professional footballer and died of dementia; and Kyran Bracken, England rugby union World Cup winner, who admitted to experiencing memory lapses. Last year, Steve Thompson, Bracken’s teammate in the 2003 England team, revealed that he had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Julian Knight, chairman of the DCMS committee, stated, “We’ve been appalled by the evidence from athletes who have suffered head trauma, jeopardizing their future health in the pursuit of sporting success for the UK. The HSE is legally responsible; however, risk management appears to have been delegated to the national governing bodies, such as the FA. This is a dereliction of duty that must be rectified. The lack of action by these sports organizations is compounded by the government’s inaction.”
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