{"id":1039,"date":"2020-12-10T10:21:27","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T10:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.russellandcompany.co.uk\/?p=1039"},"modified":"2021-09-24T13:18:21","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T12:18:21","slug":"if-rugby-causes-brain-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.russellandco.uk\/if-rugby-causes-brain-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"If rugby causes brain damage, what next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There are two main issues with the ever increasing instances of ex-players coming forward with brain injuries seemingly caused by rugby. Firstly, what can be done to mitigate the risk to make rugby safe, and secondly, exactly how many players were at risk and when?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To address the first point, it is important to recognise protocols which have been put into place within recent history. The culprit being the impact area, primarily the tackle. New rules have been introduced to keep tackles and therefore impact away from the head, neck and shoulder areas. Rules governing the ‘breakdown’ area, i.e. immediately after the tackle, have been designed to reduce the ferocity of player impacts, and finally strict protocols on head injury assessments have been introduced. Any player who is suspected to have taken an impact to the head is removed from the field for assessment. If a player is deemed to have suffered a concussion, they take no further part in that game and subsequently have to observe a period of no participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n