Concussions in rugby union
[1] Concussion can occur where an individual experiences an impact to the head, and are also notable in high-contact sports, including American football, boxing, MMA and Hockey.
With the development of equipment and training methods, further education on identifying concussion symptoms, as well as adjustments to the terms of contact may allow players to make more informed decisions on their conduct on the pitch.
Concussions may result in acute or prolonged impairment of neurological function, the brains ability to process information, which may be resolved in seven to ten days.
This is a result from brain swelling, from vascular congestion and increased intracranial pressure, this can be fatal to a player as it is a very difficult medical injury to control.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or "CTE", is an example of the cumulative damage that can occur as the result of multiple concussions or less severe blows to the head.
The disease can lead to cognitive and physical handicaps such as parkinsonism, speech and memory problems, slowed mental processing, tremor, depression, and inappropriate behavior.
The common signs of concussion can be; blank look, slow to get up off of the ground, unsteady on their feet, grabbing their head, confused in where they are or what they are doing, and obviously if they are unconscious.
Sometimes concussion can go unrecognised, so from a players point there can be these symptoms; continual headaches, dizziness, visual problems, feeling of fatigue and drowsiness.
Although not commonly used at present, novel experimental methods to rapidly diagnose concussion in the field have been developed by research laboratories in the US and UK, based on the detection of RNA biomarkers in saliva.
[15][16] Once taken off the field of play due to possible concussion, being unconscious, or showing the symptoms post game, getting medical advice as soon as possible is recommended.
[14] Despite good knowledge of concussion complications, management players engage in unsafe behaviour with little difference between gender and competition grades.
A 2017 study found that past participation in rugby or a history of concussion were associated with small to moderate neurocognitive deficits after retirement from competitive sport.
