This is the third part of our in-depth series on concussion. You can sign up as a subscriber to receive full access to not just this series, but to all of our premium content. You can access part one here part two here.
As discussed in the two previous parts of this series on concussion, it’s believed the major contributor to neuro-degenerative diseases for athletes isn’t concussion, but repeated impacts to the head over a lifetime.
But that’s not to downplay the seriousness of a concussion. It’s an injury and should be treated as such by professional sport.
The major difference in treatment though, is it’s one of the very few injuries that relies heavily on subjective assessments by both the patient and medical professionals.
Throughout this series, the experts we’ve spoken to have largely wanted to see two outcomes from the research being conducted and has been conducted over the previous decade:
- An objective treatment and assessment of concussion
- Methods and tactics to reduce overall exposure to head impacts
In part two Dr Michael Buckland from the University of Sydney mentioned strides are being made in the detection and objective assessment of concussion as close to home as Melbourne.
Concussion remains a serious issue in rugby league and professional sport. So how is it being addressed by sports and researchers alike . . .
Already subscribed? Login HERE.
Not a subscriber?
Click HERE to subscribe now.
Part four will look at what is being done at the local level to both protect amateur players and educate the wider community on concussion. Subscribe for $5/month to get access to the full series and all other content, while also receiving your first month FREE.
Sounds like a lot of research happening behind the scenes which will hopefully better inform the payers, administrators, families and spectators. One of the most important strides forward was the change in culture when everyone stopped talking about a player that staggered back into the line and would not leaver, was both courageous and a hero.