As if the injuries and colliflour ears weren't bad enough....

Frightening thought:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23545796

This is a poor sensationalist report interviewing a guy with ONE data point.

I would be the last person to trivialise concussion studies, but there is nothing here we don't already know.  To me, virtually all research should be focused on:
Diagnostic methods
Early identification
Prevention
Treatment
Long term care

And for Rugby, how to drive diagnostic and pitch-side methods down to all levels, not just the top levels.  This is where the real problem is.  

If you remember we focussed Punch Drink Syndrome a week or so ago as being basically the same thing as concussion in other sports.  

There is really one main supposition - presented virtually as conclusion - which I believe is correct:
" I think on current evidence coming from American studies, from looking at American football, our historical evidence looking at boxers throughout the world, I think it would be foolish to think there will be no problem and that rugby is immune from brain damage.............We would suspect it would be a fairly low number, but not a zero number".
WE have discussing this point here for at least two years.

Please keep in mind dementia in former players would have occurred when Rugby was still turning a blind eye to concussions.  In other words, that was then, this is now.  
Of course one case is one too many.  Rugby is still not remotely perfect, not close, but everything starts with awareness.  That might be the real value of this article.

Good points well made doc.

This is an unusual article alright.

It is extremely rare for any credible clinician or researcher to go to the press with a sample of one.

I'm not sure if the neurologist wanted to open a debate or if he has other data that he can not yet put in the public domain. Perhaps he has other patients with symptoms but has no histopathology on them. After all, we don't biopsy brains just for the sake of it.

It no different from pretty much every 'science' article ever written in mainstream media. They're generally brand new (who wants to read about additional studies saying the same thing?) and details of how good the studies are rarely commented on.

What needs to happen is a large scale IRB lead group of studies into this that will continue in definitely as the effects are so long term. I know the RFU do stuff like this.

Hammer,
Completely agree with you about the reporting of scientific research.  Remember Cold Fusion?  No one really remembers who said they did it (a South Korean scientist, if I recall), but at the time it got a lot of air time in the media.  And, of course, it was all a sham.

On the other hand, for brain trauma research, I would prefer to let American sport take the lead.  The long term effects should be the same regardless of the sport played.  Massive $$$ are being pumped into research, both short term and long term.  American Football at all levels have a lot of issues there.  But so do Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, and at a lower level Basketball and Soccer.  

I would like to see Rugby focus on rapid diagnostics and pushing the training to all levels of the sport.