Head injuries in sport

[Chicharito]

Just watching Arsenal V Wolves and there was a nasty clash of heads between David Luiz and Raul Jimenez. David Luiz has had a bandage wrapped round his head and is back on the pitch!! Raul Jimenez has been taken to hospital!
Why hasn't football followed Rugby Union and League in doing Head injury assessments?
With all the concerns regarding dementia numbers for our football players from the 60 's from heading footballs it should be a given that head injuries should be taken seriously. Sometimes I think that the powers that be in football just want to bury their heads in the sand regarding the welfare of players ( both mental and physical) and put all their efforts into changing the game for the worse...... eg. VAR!

 

[GEK79]

Just watching Arsenal V Wolves and there was a nasty clash of heads between David Luiz and Raul Jimenez. David Luiz has had a bandage wrapped round his head and is back on the pitch!! Raul Jimenez has been taken to hospital!
Why hasn't football followed Rugby Union and League in doing Head injury assessments?
With all the concerns regarding dementia numbers for our football players from the 60 's from heading footballs it should be a given that head injuries should be taken seriously. Sometimes I think that the powers that be in football just want to bury their heads in the sand regarding the welfare of players ( both mental and physical) and put all their efforts into changing the game for the worse...... eg. VAR!

It is sad to see and Luiz should have been examined and evaluated if Jimenez is going to hospital.. Var isn't understood properly by the refs and is used in the wrong reason every match.. Players are just a commodity.. Once they retire that's it.. Yes they get a huge salary and are superstars but their physical and mental well being isn't cared for.. I hope both players are okay.
Gary.

 

[riffled hitch]

Talking about head injuries, if it was not for the halo device on f1 cars god knows what would of happened to Romain Grosjean. Horrible accident. turned my stomach watching it live.

 

[Andrew B]

Kinda strange given how serious they take it in cricket nowadays. Sending someone back on the pitch, however brave is really dangerous. I’m pretty sure in Boxing a KO results in an immediate lay off of about six months?

 

[ozzyian]

Talking about head injuries, if it was not for the halo device on f1 cars god knows what would of happened to Romain Grosjean. Horrible accident. turned my stomach watching it live.

He can consider himself very fortunate not least that he wasn't trapped by the barrier itself. I expect he bought himself a lotto ticket tonight. WRT to footballers, I don't think that the head knocks happen so often that a hia protocol needs to be in place. In the event of injury footballers are generally straight off anyway, with rugby the danger was that they refused to come off thereby necessitating that the decision was removed from the player and the coach and handed onto a doctor.

 

[Handel]

He can consider himself very fortunate not least that he wasn't trapped by the barrier itself. I expect he bought himself a lotto ticket tonight. WRT to footballers, I don't think that the head knocks happen so often that a hia protocol needs to be in place. In the event of injury footballers are generally straight off anyway, with rugby the danger was that they refused to come off thereby necessitating that the decision was removed from the player and the coach and handed onto a doctor.

It was actually the requirements of junior rugby where there was no doctor/phsio/coach to take a decision. The poor old ref had to do it which was an invidious position to put the ref in. That said rugby has always been prepared to experiment and change things. Communication between officials started in rugby and was copied by soccer, remember talking flags? The TMO came well before VAR, and soccer doesn't seem able to use VAR properly.

 

[goosander]

Head injuries are bad but what sport has the most "kills" to its members.
In that case we should all give up fishing.
Bob.

 

[Elibank]

Head injuries are bad but what sport has the most "kills" to its members.
In that case we should all give up fishing.
Bob.

Given that pheasants are usually amongst the highest casualties, we should give up shooting or driving Eddy Stobarts...

 

[billy fish]

I expect the majority of us that sustained bangs to the head during a game chose to stay on so as not to let the team down . Given what we now know about the long term effects of impacts on the head this should not be allowed and officials at all levels must insist on the player leaving the field .

 

[Aled]

I notice that there are many on this thread who know me as a Rugger Bug*er, and i played club rugby until i was 37 yeas old, however the last time i suffered sport concussion.....was whilst playing in a charity football match on astro turf! The best thing that happened to me was allowing head guards to be worn, during matches.
Two of my ex rugby coaches are now in care homes before the age of 65, due to early stages of Alzheimer's, they both played very brave rugby, (i.e. laid body on the line) and played until they were 40. Is this relevant to why they are unwell now?
Also i think in elite sport, (all elite sport) if there is a head injury, a Dr should decide if a players stays on or not, not the player or the coaches.
Cheers
Aled

 

[salarchaser]

I notice that there are many on this thread who know me as a Rugger Bug*er, and i played club rugby until i was 37 yeas old, however the last time i suffered sport concussion.....was whilst playing in a charity football match on astro turf! The best thing that happened to me was allowing head guards to be worn, during matched.
Two of my ex rugby coaches are now in care homes before the age of 65, due to early stages of Alzheimer's, they both played very brave rugby, (i.e. laid body on the line) and played until they were 40. Is this relevant to why they are unwell now?
Also i think in elite sport, (all elite sport) if there is a head injury, a Dr should decide if a players stays on or not, not the player or the coaches.
Cheers
Aled

Played till I was 33 and finished when I moved about 150miles from the club I'd played at for over 10 years. Couldnt be @rsed finding a new club. New job, new house, young family.
Had a couple head injuries while playing, broken nose a few times, head stitches and just collisions. A couple I remember for having a headache for days. Each time, early season on hard grounds.
Never thought anything of it, but with hindsight.....

Its a fine line. Living life and wrapping yourself in cotton wool.
Not suggesting you should be reckless but there has to be some risk whatever your hoby.

 

[Aled]

I remember playing against Bristol Poly for Seale-Hayne College in November 1993, my sister Non was at Bristol Poly, i took a rather heavy knock to the head, and was seeing stars (it all went black then flecks of light flicking across the eyes) i stayed on and finished the match, (we lost) my sister came to watch the game....after the match we had a chat (I am very fond of my sister), she asked me had i been drinking (i hadn't it was a cup match) as my speech was slurred... other than that 1 sentence, i can not remember a single word we said to each other!! Fast forward to late January i was still having headaches on the left side of my head, it got so bad that on one evening i phoned my Dad (he's a GP, now retired) and asked his advice, now ask the child of any Dr,... the last person you want to deal with when you are ill is your Mam/Dad who is a Doctor! I was genuinely unwell, my point.....this was amateur rugby at a relatively low level, ....so imagine the head knocks that those top class players now take on a regular basis. In my opinion we need to take head injuries across all sports very seriously, and professional medical advice should be taken on all occasions.
Cheers
Aled

 

[salarchaser]

I remember playing against Bristol Poly for Seale-Hayne College in November 1993, my sister Non was at Bristol Poly, i took a rather heavy knock to the head, and was seeing stars (it all went black then flecks of light flicking across the eyes) i stayed on and finished the match, (we lost) my sister came to watch the game....after the match we had a chat (I am very fond of my sister), she asked me had i been drinking (i hadn't it was a cup match) as my speech was slurred... other than that 1 sentence, i can not remember a single word we said to each other!! Fast forward to late January i was still having headaches on the left side of my head, it got so bad that on one evening i phoned my Dad (he's a GP, now retired) and asked his advice, now ask the child of any Dr,... the last person you want to deal with when you are ill is your Mam/Dad who is a Doctor! I was genuinely unwell, my point.....this was amateur rugby at a relatively low level, ....so imagine the head knocks that those top class players now take on a regular basis. In my opinion we need to take head injuries across all sports very seriously, and professional medical advice should be taken on all occasions.
Cheers
Aled

Spent a few afternoons / evenings in bristol hospitals. Its the region I played most of my senior rugby.

 

[billy fish]

Aled , when you were at Seale-Hayne did you ever venture up to East Devon to play Sidmouth, Exmouth or Honiton ?

 

[Aled]

Definitely played against Exmouth, don't think we played against Sidmouth or Honition,
Are they your local clubs Billy?
Cheers
Aled

 

[billy fish]

My club is Sidmouth but Exmouth and Honiton are our local derby teams where no quarter is ever given and current league status counts for nothing . Exeter is only a few miles away and quite a lot of us local boys tried our luck in there . This was in the seventies for me when Exeter supplied most of the county side and a future England captain in John Scott.
You must have played Bicton College in your time at Seale Hayne .

 

[salarchaser]

My club is Sidmouth but Exmouth and Honiton are our local derby teams where no quarter is ever given and current league status counts for nothing . Exeter is only a few miles away and quite a lot of us local boys tried our luck in there . This was in the seventies for me when Exeter supplied most of the county side and a future England captain in John Scott.
You must have played Bicton College in your time at Seale Hayne .

I played club rugby just outside Bristol for over 10 years, late 80 through 90s. Played Plymouth Albion in a friendly, but our league game that was furthest south was Wellington.

 

[Aled]

Yes played against Bicton College scored against them once, billy fish, We also played against quite a few of the Devon club sides Brixham, Tiverton, Teignmouth, We played college and service sides on Wednesday, and played club sides on Saturday. The service sides were always great to play against, as there was plenty of tasty nosh available after the match, and the beer was even cheaper than the student union! I know I never played against Sidmouth as one of my house mates was from there, however Seale-Hayne may of played them at another time.
Cheers
Aled

 

[billy fish]

Wellington were a regular home and away fixture for us before the league’s. We only play them now if we are in the same league . Graham Dawe coaches them now , a product of his friendship with his old Bath teammate Richard Lee who is a Wellington lad . Always difficult to win up there with a Somerset ref .
BRNC Dartmouth was always a good trip . The young officers would always look after their opposite numbers and the food was always excellent.
We stocked the lake at Bicton and had some great all year round fishing for Rainbow. Sadly lost it to the carp boys . Who was your room mate ?

 

[Occasional salmon fisher]

I remember playing against Bristol Poly for Seale-Hayne College in November 1993, my sister Non was at Bristol Poly, i took a rather heavy knock to the head, and was seeing stars (it all went black then flecks of light flicking across the eyes) i stayed on and finished the match, (we lost) my sister came to watch the game....after the match we had a chat (I am very fond of my sister), she asked me had i been drinking (i hadn't it was a cup match) as my speech was slurred... other than that 1 sentence, i can not remember a single word we said to each other!! Fast forward to late January i was still having headaches on the left side of my head, it got so bad that on one evening i phoned my Dad (he's a GP, now retired) and asked his advice, now ask the child of any Dr,... the last person you want to deal with when you are ill is your Mam/Dad who is a Doctor! I was genuinely unwell, my point.....this was amateur rugby at a relatively low level, ....so imagine the head knocks that those top class players now take on a regular basis. In my opinion we need to take head injuries across all sports very seriously, and professional medical advice should be taken on all occasions.
Cheers
Aled

Saw Steve Thompson speaking yesterday. He talked about seeing stars and being temporarily unconscious quite frequently, even in training sessions. It was all part of a being a tough rugby player, something admired by fans.

I do wonder if we will see major rule changes in rugby and possibly the banning of headers in football.

 

[salarchaser]

Wellington were a regular home and away fixture for us before the league’s. We only play them now if we are in the same league . Graham Dawe coaches them now , a product of his friendship with his old Bath teammate Richard Lee who is a Wellington lad . Always difficult to win up there with a Somerset ref .
BRNC Dartmouth was always a good trip . The young officers would always look after their opposite numbers and the food was always excellent.
We stocked the lake at Bicton and had some great all year round fishing for Rainbow. Sadly lost it to the carp boys . Who was your room mate ?

Dawe was a player who may not have gone to bath these days, would have gone to exeter instead.
Whenever we played Wellington, Keith Floyd was propped up in the corner of the bar.

Back to Dawe, I shared a pitch with him a few times.
Long story short, the SW division used to train on our pitches. Every now and then they'd drag us in for some (very) semi-opposed stuff.
I knew then why I played at the level I did.
Chilcott, dawe, obogu, redman, shaw, robinson, teague, hill, barnes, guscott.
They were a good bunch of lads. In return for them using our facilities, besides the barrel of beer we'd get, Bristol would host us for specific training sessions or Bath or Glaucester would send someone to us.
Good experiences.

 

[Aled]

Chap called Dave Sumner, he was on the same corridor as me in halls of residence, in my first year. He wasn't a rugby player and I don't think he finished his course, anyway he was from Sidmouth.
Cheers
Aled

 

[Aled]

Some pretty big names are taking action against various Rugby Unions at the moment due to head injuries. What is the outcome of this, i have no idea!
Cheers
Aled

 

[salarchaser]

Some pretty big names are taking action against various Rugby Unions at the moment due to head injuries. What is the outcome of this, i have no idea!
Cheers
Aled

It is very sad that people are suffering as a result of this.

Interesting that there's suddenly a spate of claims.
It has implications going forward. It'll come down to insurance and who pays.
As usual, it'll be the bottom of the pyramid that suffers most.

Huge ramifications, especially at the lower tiers.
Will there be an investigation as to negligence in the working environment? Who is accountable for player safety?
How will officials in the lower tiers react? Referees will be asking all and sundry to leave the pitch if there's a head injury as they won't want responsibility. Same for physios / coaches. All club officials will want to be covered. It opens up a whole can of worms.
No doubt player welfare is paramount at all levels. What this does for the future of the game, especially at an amateur level is anyone's guess.

Where does it go next? Boxing, American Football, football already in the spotlight.

Steve Thompson is an interesting one.
He took a hefty pay out from an insurance company when he said he was injured, had to retire and couldn't earn a living. A year or two later, he paid it back and started playing again. I'm sure there was more to it than that but it casts a cloud.

 

[Occasional salmon fisher]

It is very sad that people are suffering as a result of this.

Interesting that there's suddenly a spate of claims.
It has implications going forward. It'll come down to insurance and who pays.
As usual, it'll be the bottom of the pyramid that suffers most.

Huge ramifications, especially at the lower tiers.
Will there be an investigation as to negligence in the working environment? Who is accountable for player safety?
How will officials in the lower tiers react? Referees will be asking all and sundry to leave the pitch if there's a head injury as they won't want responsibility. Same for physios / coaches. All club officials will want to be covered. It opens up a whole can of worms.
No doubt player welfare is paramount at all levels. What this does for the future of the game, especially at an amateur level is anyone's guess.

Where does it go next? Boxing, American Football, football already in the spotlight.

Steve Thompson is an interesting one.
He took a hefty pay out from an insurance company when he said he was injured, had to retire and couldn't earn a living. A year or two later, he paid it back and started playing again. I'm sure there was more to it than that but it casts a cloud.

I can't see many insurance companies covering brain damage/effects in later life for rugby players from now on.