Ex-Rugby Players to sue for brain damage

This article in the Times explains a lot more about the background to Thompson's case. (Sorry, I don't have a share token.)

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-don-t-remember-2003-world-cup-win-says-steve-thompson-as-he-takes-legal-action-after-dementia-diagnosis-88q9b5j7v

This is the bit where he talks about the training they underwent:

“Many of those training sessions were contact sessions using a scrummage machine and I would be in the thick of things, with all the pressure pushed on me. It was not uncommon for me to be left dazed, seeing white spots and not knowing where I was for a few seconds, sometimes I would pass out completely. It was just an accepted part and parcel of training. I really wished that I had ended my career earlier, maybe my diagnosis might not be so bleak.”

Ban physical sports?
Ban games consoles and phones (risk of RSI)

It's the repeated exposure which seems to be the key factor (not just the strength of specific impacts) and the changes sought relate to limiting the number (not intensity) of certain types of contact in training.

It's like football, which bans heading in the youth game and severely limits it in training at any age. It's not because of disproportion between players. It is all contact with head.

This is not news to rugby institutions. They know. And what’s worrying is how well known the risks are to young players and have done for at least the last decade and a half.

I come from a rugby playing family but when DCs were born I said they would not be playing rugby. No way. Luckily DH saw the articles and stats and agreed with me, but it is a hugely touchy subject in our extended families.

41 years of age. Heck

In other sports that are non contact you can get the big lever injuries

Look at Andy Murray and Leighton Hewitt. Hips

Knees.

But early onset dementia must send a shiver up anyone who’s kids play contact sport like football and rugby

Got you stop!

It’s also only becoming a more serious injury now, as we are only beginning to see people have a long career as professional rugby players. Rugby Union was amateur until the 1990’s, I think - I certainly remember players having “day jobs” - and the season was far shorter.

It's not JUST a male problem

@NeurotrashWarrior I'm certainly not arguing with you re female brains. Just wanted to say it's not a male problem.

I wasn’t aware about the link to MND. It makes Rob Burrow’s plight even more tragic thinking his successful rugby career has taken him to this end.

desperatelyseeking1

I told my daughter not to do headers for the same reason. Having seen my mother die from dementia It is not something to risk.

*Glamourous!

That is true, but I don't think its glamourise enough for them.

Rates of dementia are higher in women as a whole, plus seemingly they're more at risk in sports. Damn good arguments for binary biological sex!

Gosh. I play football for a ladies team and I've taken my fair share of headers and I was concussed once after I caught the ball all wrong on my head. I've stopped heading now because of this but my peers are still heading away.

Neurotrash I'd hope that would be the case, but having seen the claims of victory in the Keira Bell case I have my doubts that anything can escape the mangling of those who can cheefully divorce thinking and biology!

It's worth listening to the WH programme as a female footballer describes her experiences with this and had to retire.

Curious, that is a risk yes, that it's used against women. But imo to research and evidencing the differences creates benefits that far outweigh the negatives for women's health. Offering protective medical measures, defining and maintaining women's sports as female only.

There's evidence that puberty blockers affect the female brain differently to the male for eg. Many drugs haven't been tested properly in women and so may create different effects. Women experience extreme brain fog sometimes during menopause; hrt can help it hugely.

I suppose there's a distinction between what's known amongst researchers and medics, and what is common knowledge in a population. Are people participating in sports like these always going to be aware of long term risks? If rugby or football or riding is your hobby (even at an intensive level), is research about dementia and MND going to be on your radar without major publicity like this case?

I was reading something recently about VOSA targeting horse trailers for weight spot checks because apparently lots of people aren't very clued up and overload trailers. Which surprised me as I naively assumed anyone driving a lorry/trailer wouldn't do so without the right knowledge/skills.

So I can easily imagine that lots of riders are aware of immediate injury/death risks but not aware of any link to things like MND in the long term.

I've only ever heard people involved in those kinds of sports talking about short term risks. I realise that's anecdotal though.

Players know the risks, and to suggest that they don't is ridiculous.

But the point is that they did not know that rugby would mean they had dementia by the age of 41. Dementia is a life limiting diagnosis (in the sense that it will kill you prematurely).

They expected to have physical consequences and knew of immediate risks, but did anybody expect dementia and reduced life expectancy years later?

Anyway, regardless of when it was understood that training practices etc are causing dementia, if no mitigation has been implemented then it is right that action is taken to compel mitigation to be taken.

There's probably a lot more coming out of sports injury research over the next year or so... should be quite interesting to see how some people decide to twist that too!

The research seems to be saying women are at risk of greater damage than men for a number of physiological and biological reasons.

I suspect most sports/activities involving significant physical activity causes damage. A friend who was a competitive rower puts her arthritis down to the rowing and training damaging her joints.

Puts a v different spin on men claiming they have women's brains.

Blows that one right out of the water.

The link between acquired brain injury, Parkinson's, MND, dementia etc and several sports professional or otherwise have been known for a long time.
Rugby, football, horse racing, riding and eventing etc. Women as much at risk as men.