By Ken Reed
The sports of football, boxing, hockey, and even soccer, have been the focus of increasing concern when it comes to brain trauma injuries.
It’s time to add rugby to the list.
Professor David Gerrard of the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand is part of a research team working to better understand the impact rugby-incurred concussions have on the brain in the short and long term. The researchers are also looking for ways to prevent brain injuries from happening during rugby matches. Gerrard is particularly concerned about detecting and treating concussion at the high school and junior rugby levels.
Gerrard, anatomy and psychology senior research fellow Andrew Clarkson, and other Dunedin researchers are ultimately hoping to discover ways to make rugby safer. There findings could have positive implications for football, hockey and soccer as well.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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