The latest annual injury audit has shown that the number of reported concussions in English rugby rose by 59% in '13-14 "compared to the previous season," according to Chris Jones of the BBC. The audit recorded 86 cases in '13-14 "after 54 the season before." Rugby's governing bodies believe that "the increase is because of improved understanding of head injuries." Rugby Football Union Chief Medical Officer Dr. Simon Kemp said, "There is greater awareness by players as to what their symptoms mean and a willingness to declare those symptoms to club doctors. There is also a greater understanding by club medical staff as to how to diagnose and recognize concussion." English Rugby's audit -- titled the England Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project Report -- "found concussion to be the most common rugby injury for a third successive season." Kemp said, "It is still the minority of players who report a concussion. It is important to keep the size of the concussion problem in context" (BBC, 2/12). The PA reported head injuries now constitute 12.5% of all match injuries and have increased 59% on the figures published for the '12-13 season, "rising from 54 instances incurred to 86." There "were seven retirements from the sport last season due to head and neck issues, which are bracketed together and include concussion, with upper limb problems second on the list at three retirements." While the audit finds that the severity of all injuries has spiked, "the overall risk of match and training injury remains stable within the expected range and there is a decrease in the rate of recurrent injuries" (PA, 2/12).
