University Research on Concussion in Rugby

[theacademic]

Dear all,

I am an academic at a UK university looking at concussion in rugby and I am hoping you can spare a few minutes to share your views via this anonymous survey:

https://winchester.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/ ... umainrugby

Thanks in advance.

[theacademic]

Many thanks to those that have completed the short survey.

[chris11]

I don't wish to appear 'precious' about research ethics protocols - but this really isn't on! I would not have given approval for this way of soliciting participants from any student I supervise (whether they are researching at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level).

You might offer your respondents anonymity but you must declare your full name, contact details, institutional affiliation and funding arrangements for your study (if any). All UK Research Ethics Codes of Practice (in whatever discipline) would expect this as a minimum - together with more contextual detail about the purpose, scope and anticipated end use of your study. You are also required to confirm in writing that you have completed necessary ethical approval procedures for your study (usually giving the application ID to evidence this).

I'd happily complete your survey if you can provide this level of detail - but would appreciate you maintaining the high standards expected of the research community. Other readers on the thread are, of course, free to complete your questionnaire as it stands - but I've given my health warning!

[fleabane]

Absolutely right Chris 11.

Gathering people's opinions this way means that the data gathered is not statistically useful either!

I would also urge caution to anyone who may be giving any personal information to this, or any other online "research" questionnaire.

[LE18]

Anyone watch the One show tonight, could the Orange foam demonstrated as a shock absorber be made into head gear, ie scrum cap and all players be forced to wear one? This would certainly help fight the lattest bid to ban rugby tackling in schools!

[Isambard]

This request is not only dubious in its timing but also in its purpose.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Anyone watch the One show tonight, could the Orange foam demonstrated as a shock absorber be made into head gear, ie scrum cap and all players be forced to wear one? This would certainly help fight the lattest bid to ban rugby tackling in schools!

And then players think they can't get concussion and start leading wtith the head like american football players.

Only good technique can prevent injuries - and that means starting low contact training drills early

[LE18]

The main complaint is about schoolboy rugby, most schools don't have teachers who are sufficiently qualified to teach proper tackling techniques, so if school rugby is to continue as a contact sport they either have to recruit specialist rugby coaches, unlikely, or give the pupils some protection for their heads!
Whilst existing scrum caps don't give that protection, the new orange foam material could be moulded into a head gear that would help. Hope you saw the material I am talking about on the One Show last night, remarkable properties!

[The Boy Dave]

The main complaint is about schoolboy rugby, most schools don't have teachers who are sufficiently qualified to teach proper tackling techniques

And yet the pro's still get it wrong, and can do it correct and still get injured.
The coaches will all say it's about coaching, as if they would say any different as their importance will increase ten fold and their salaries with it, that would also leave only a few selective schools to play contact rugby and so perhaps that would suit some who are playing this coaching tune.
I can't help thinking that these same coaches bleating about technique are often the same people who have played a significant part in any possible increase in risks in youth rugby in the way they encourage the youth to bulk up unnaturally.
It's a contact sport, if parents don't want their kids tackling then don't play it and anyway there is already touch rugby around the country on a regular basis so the choice is present!
To ban tackling in rugby is like a ban on punching in boxing or throwing in judo.
Perhaps they should ban the hurdles in hurdling, the bar in the high jump or the darts in darts, after all you could hurt yourself.

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Whilst existing scrum caps don't give that protection, the new orange foam material could be moulded into a head gear that would help. Hope you saw the material I am talking about on the One Show last night, remarkable properties!

There's nothing new about that orange foam! d3o has been on sale for almost a decade (and was being talked about for almost 5 years before it went on sale) and it's not had a massive uptake yet.

If players were to have it in a scrumcap it wouldn't necessarily help much - concussion isn't just caused by external impact onto the head, but also by impact from the brain moving within the skull. Whilst a cap would prevent a stray knee or players falling into your head it won't help if you get tackled and your head whips.

[AidanMcDowell]

I watched the article on The One Show with interest and discussed it with my 15 year old who plays in the back row for both school and club. He routinely wears pads under his shirt (he doesn't like srcrum caps) and we both thought this substance would be useful in such pads. But, thinking further, it became obvious that an impact from another player into something that became solid would increase the risk to the tackling player. I certainly can't see what useful application there would be in scrum caps, not just for the same reason but also, as Tiger in Birmingham says, the brain is suspended in fluid and a sudden decrease in velocity causes it to bounce on the inside of the skull, causing concussion. As I mentioned on another thread some weeks ago, the Will Smith film 'Concussion' told the true story of catastrophic long term damage caused to the brain of players (wearing full head gear of course) through repeated low level impacts. I agree that wearing hard protective head gear would just encourage greater use of the head, or at least a lowering of concern about injury when flying into rucks and tackles.

A number of people have said already that it is the teaching of proper technique that should help avoud this, although I agree that many teachers may not be qualified rugby coaches. In the junior and mini sections of clubs there is also an absence of qualified coaches - it's only enthusuastic parents that do the coaching (although many I know have attended RFU courses so may be better qualified than teachers in this respect.) The protocols that exist for concussion at professional levels are no less rigorous for younger players. My lad went off early in a game in November feeling dizzy after a relatively small knock. He was not allowed to play or even train for two weeks and I, as the attending parent, was given a detailed set of instructions about symptoms to look out for and pressing the need for him to be cleared by our GP before he started back. I was pretty impressed by how rigorous this was.

Perhaps the people that have written and signed the report calling for a ban on contact should spend some time in the junior sections of clubs to see how well cared for the kids are.

[Big Dai]

Asked Lewis Moody, George Chuter, Will Greenwood and Ed Slater what they thought of the proposed banning of the rugby tackle in schools.

George replied "Moody's tackle has been banned from so many places it's hard to keep track"!

[maroontrunks]

I think it's only right to make sure that rugby in school is as safe as it can be, but actually banning tackling seems a knee-jerk response to concerns about injuries. It's great that rugby clubs are so conscious of the risks, but of course in most state schools, a P.E teacher specialising in rugby coaching is a rare thing.
Surely a better initiative than a call for a ban on tackling would be a drive to improve rugby coaching in schools (I don't remember it being very structured, just terrifying when I was at school) and hopefully that would have a knock-on (sorry) effect of getting more young people interested in the sport.
The suggestion has been made about dividing groups of young players by weight rather than age group, which I've read is already a widespread practice in the southern hemisphere, it seems a sensible start.

[AidanMcDowell]

I don't know if this link will work. If it does then it makes some very good points about this debate. If the link doesn't work, perhaps someone more technically savvy than me might be able to work out why...




http://sportsscientists.com/2016/03/ban ... f+Sport%29