A British brain doctor said that the "unknown risks of youth rugby need urgent assessment to ensure the safety of junior players," accoding to Kate Kelland of REUTERS.
Writing in the BMJ British Medical Journal, Michael Carter, a paediatric neurosurgeon at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, argued that "rugby sidesteps many safeguards intended to ensure pupil wellbeing" and called on schools, clubs, medical facilities and regulatory bodies "to work together to investigate the risks of junior rugby."
Carter's concerns "echo worries expressed by health experts about injuries in professional rugby and other contact sports such as boxing and American football, where evidence suggests multiple knocks to the head can cause brain damage and lead to dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases."
In British schools where rugby is played, some children start at age eight, and by age 10 are engaging in "contact" rugby, which carries a greater risk of injury, Carter wrote (REUTERS, 1/8).
COLLECTING DATA: The AFP reported Premiership Rugby side Saracens players "wore impact sensors in their premiership win over London Irish on Saturday as part of a new initiative to research the damage caused by head injuries." With the issue of concussions a growing concern in rugby, Saracens chiefs "gave the go-ahead for players to use the device, which is called the xPatch and measures the size and direction of hits to the head." Saracens CEO Edward Griffiths: "We're collecting data because we want answers" (AFP, 1/6).
