Managing sporting head injuries
Research from September 2009 commissioned by the USA’s National Football League (NFL) suggests the rate of dementia for ex-American Football players is five times higher than that of non-players.
According to the Brain Injury Association of Arizona USA, about 41,000 high school players are concussed every year by the game.
The research, conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, is the first to suggest there is a connection between playing American Football and the risk of dementia, or another memory-related disease.
The findings showed, out of over 1,000 retired players, 6.1 percent of ex-players aged 50 and above had been diagnosed with a form of dementia; five times higher than the average rate of 1.2 percent of the American population. The NFL is conducting its own study of 120 retired players, which will include neurological examinations.
Although rugby played here in New Zealand differs from American Football in terms of how the head is used, Alzheimers News Zealand talked to the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU)’s Ken Quarrie, a senior scientist for injury prevention and performance, about his take on the research.
“My impression is that the volume of head-to head contacts in American Football, particularly in practice sessions, is higher by an order of magnitude than that experienced by rugby players.”
However, Ken says the NZRU has provided extensive resources for managing head injuries, especially concussion, for some years. He says the NZRU will continue to monitor information from American Football and other contact sports, as well as surveying rugby players in New Zealand to evaluate the effects of the game on the long-term health of ex-players.
Mandatory RugbySmart sessions, in conjunction with NZRU and ACC, provide tools to identify concussion and other injuries. These sessions are completed annually by all coaches and referees of contact rugby.
“The NZRU see player welfare as paramount, and we are attempting to keep abreast of local and international research regarding head injury in contact sports so that we can provide injury prevention guidelines that are based on the best available current evidence, “ says Ken.
There has been no research into dementia and New Zealand rugby players yet, however, a Sunday News article on 1 November 2009 said donated brains of All Blacks and New Zealand American Football players are being sought for an international study on possible links between sports concussions and early on-set dementia.
For the NZRU’s Coaching Toolbox, including a short video from the Brain Injury Association of New Zealand about detecting and managing concussion, please click here.
