Head injuries in the Australian Football League

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Head injuries in the Australian Football League (AFL) is a controversial topic with many players sustaining head related injuries during the AFL season, some of these being caused by the players themselves "ducking" their heads in order to receive high contact which warrants a free kick. One of the most common forms of head injury sustained in the AFL is concussion, which will affect about 6-7 players per team, per season. [1] The reason head injuries are a big concern is that they relate to an increased probability to developing forms of cognitive impairment such as; depression and dementia later in life. [1]

Contents

Physical injuries

During round 6 in the 2002 AFL season, James Hird suffered a facial injury after a collision with team mate Mark McVeigh during a match between Essendon and Fremantle which resulted in several bone fractures, Hird's injuries were compared to injuries seen in motor-car accidents. [2] Jonathan Brown is another AFL player whose facial injuries were compared to those in a car accident; the three time award winner of the AFL's most courageous player, was injured after colliding with the knee of Fremantle's Luke McPharlin. Brown's injuries consisted of eight breaks around his eye socket, mandible, and cheek bone, which took hours of reconstructive surgery to repair. [3]

Mental injuries

Most of the severe mental injuries associated with AFL are developed later in life when the player has retired from the AFL; these injuries are a result of heavy contact to the player's head. From one hundred cases of concussion being reviewed, ninety seven of these involved direct contact to the head with majority of the contact coming from the head, upper body or upper limbs of the other player. [4] Evidence suggests that some negative effects of concussion on cognitive and motor function may continue to harm the player many years after the initial injury; some research also links clinical depression to contact related concussion. [5]

Prevention

In recent years the AFL have taken many steps forward to try reduce the effects of concussion and how many players are receiving concussion, which will also reduce the physical head injuries to with less head contact. The AFL have modified rules of the game to protect the head of the player and reduce head contact during contests, and have also given out a concussion management plan. [5] Prevention is also up to the player as well, for a player to comply with the concussion management plan they must miss the next game, but with players not registering as being concussed and playing the next week they can develop worse injuries. [5]

Notable people

Greg Williams, a former AFL player known for his attack on the football blames concussion on the football field as to why he's experiencing memory loss and also why he's developing a short temper. [6] Chris Nowinski is a US concussions expert and states that he believes the AFL should do more to prevent players suffering head injuries which can lead to degenerate brain disease. Nowinski is an advocate for education about concussion being mandatory in sports codes, and believes some AFL players may already suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. [7]

Related Research Articles

James Albert Hird is a former professional Australian rules football player and past senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concussion</span> Medical condition

A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness; memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, or balance; nausea; blurred vision; dizziness; sleep disturbances, and mood changes. Any of these symptoms may begin immediately, or appear days after the injury. Concussion should be suspected if a person indirectly or directly hits their head and experiences any of the symptoms of concussion. Symptoms of a concussion may be delayed by 1–2 days after the accident. It is not unusual for symptoms to last 2 weeks in adults and 4 weeks in children. Fewer than 10% of sports-related concussions among children are associated with loss of consciousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Brown (Australian footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1981

Jonathan Brown is a former Australian rules footballer and radio presenter. He is the former captain of the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Nowinski</span> American neuroscientist and professional wrestler

Christopher John Nowinski is an American neuroscientist, author and retired professional wrestler. After extensively researching concussions in American football, Nowinski co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he is currently CEO and co-founded Boston University's CTE Center. As a professional wrestler, he is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Chris Harvard and later under his real name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health issues in American football</span> Dangers to the health of athletes participating in American football

Health issues in American football comprise a large number of health risks associated with participating in the sport. Injuries are relatively common in American football, due to its nature as a full-contact game. Injuries occur during both practice and games. Several factors can affect the frequency of injuries: epidemiological studies have shown older players can be at a greater risk, while equipment and experienced coaches can reduce the risk of injury. Common injuries include strains, sprains, fractures, dislocations, and concussions. Concussions have become a concern, as they increase the risk of mental illnesses like dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In individual leagues like the National Football League (NFL) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a public injury report is published containing all injured players on a team, their injury and the game-day status of each player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Pickett</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1977

Byron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal and over 200 AFL games. In 2005 Pickett was acknowledged as one of the finest Aboriginal players in the history of the game, with his selection to the Indigenous Team of the Century. He announced his retirement from AFL at the end of the 2007 season.

Australian rules football is a sport known for its high level of physical body contact compared to other ball sports such as soccer and basketball. High-impact collisions can occur from any direction, although deliberate collisions sometimes occur from a front-on direction. In addition, players of the code typically wear no protective padding of any kind except for a mouthguard or, occasionally, a helmet. As such, injury rates tend to be high.

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), also known as persisting symptoms after concussion, is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or years after a concussion. PCS is medically classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 35% of people with concussion experience persistent or prolonged symptoms 3 to 6 months after injury. Prolonged concussion is defined as having concussion symptoms for over four weeks following the first accident in youth and for weeks or months in adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronic traumatic encephalopathy</span> Neurodegenerative disease caused by head injury

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse over time and can result in dementia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepherding (Australian rules football)</span> Legally pushing, bumping or blocking

Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football, a team sport. Shepherding is the act of legally pushing, bumping or blocking an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Picken</span> Australian rules footballer

Liam Picken is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 2009 to 2019. In 2016 he played in the Bulldogs' 2nd premiership team. Picken is from the western Victorian town of Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmet-to-helmet collision</span> Dangerous contact in gridiron football

Helmet-to-helmet collisions are occurrences in gridiron football when two players' football helmets make head-to-head contact with a high degree of force. Intentionally causing a helmet-to-helmet collision is a penalty in most football leagues, including many high school leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prevention of concussions</span>

Prevention of mild traumatic brain injury involves taking general measures to prevent traumatic brain injury, such as wearing seat belts, using airbags in cars, securing heavy furnitures and objects before earthquake or covering and holding under the table during an earthquake. Older people are encouraged to try to prevent falls, for example by keeping floors free of clutter and wearing thin, flat, shoes with hard soles that do not interfere with balance.

Concussions and play-related head blows in American football have been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has led to player deaths and other debilitating symptoms after retirement, including memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, stress, and sleep disturbances.

Concussions, a type of mild traumatic brain injury, are a frequent concern for those playing sports, from children and teenagers to professional athletes. Repeated concussions are known to cause neurological disorders, particularly chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which in professional athletes has led to premature retirement, erratic behavior and even suicide. A sports-related concussion is defined as a "complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by biomechanical forces". Because concussions cannot be seen on X-rays or CT scans, attempts to prevent concussions have been difficult.

A sports-related traumatic brain injury is a serious accident which may lead to significant morbidity or mortality. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in sports are usually a result of physical contact with another person or stationary object, These sports may include boxing, gridiron football, field/ice hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, rugby, soccer, wrestling, auto racing, cycling, equestrian, rollerblading, skateboarding, skiing or snowboarding.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a blow, jolt or penetration to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. Most TBIs are caused by falls, jumps, motor vehicle traffic crashes, being struck by a person or a blunt object, and assault. Student-athletes may be put at risk in school sports, creating concern about concussions and brain injury. A concussion can be caused by a direct blow to the head, or an indirect blow to the body that causes reactions in the brain. The result of a concussion is neurological impairment that may resolve spontaneously but may also have long-term consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concussions in Australian sport</span>

Head injuries in sports of any level are the most dangerous kind of injuries that can occur in sport, and are becoming more common in Australian sport. Concussions are the most common side effect of a head injury and are defined as "temporary unconsciousness or confusion and other symptoms caused by a blow to the head." A concussion also falls under the category of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Especially in contact sports like Australian rules football and rugby, issues with concussions are prevalent, and methods to deal with, prevent and treat concussions are continuously being updated and researched to deal with the issue. Concussions pose a serious threat to the patients’ mental and physical health, as well as their playing career, and can result in lasting brain damage especially if left untreated. The signs that a player may have a concussion are: loss of consciousness or non-responsiveness, balance problems, a dazed, blank or vacant look and/or confusion and unawareness of their surroundings. Of course the signs are relevant only after the player experiences a blow to the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concussions in rugby union</span> Risk of concussion from playing rugby union

Concussions in professional rugby union are the most common injury received. Concussion can occur where an individual experiences an impact to the head, and are also notable in high-contact sports, including American football, boxing, MMA and Hockey. Concussions can occur in recreational activities like horse riding, jumping, cycling, and skiing as a result of forceful rotational moment, resulting in injuries to the brain due to the contact with the skull, giving the skull not enough time to move with the body, causing the brain to press against the skull. With the development of equipment and training methods, further education on identifying concussion symptoms, aswell as adjustments to the terms of contact may allow players to make more informed decisions on their conduct on the pitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank</span>

The Boston University CTE Center is an independently run medical research lab located at the Boston University School of Medicine. The Center focuses on research related to the long-term effects of brain trauma and degenerative brain diseases, specializing in the diagnosis and analysis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to researchers at Boston University, CTE is a brain disease involving progressive neurological deterioration common in athletes, military personnel, and others who have a history of brain trauma. The disease is primarily caused by repeated blows to the head, some of which result in concussions or sub-concussive symptoms.

References

  1. 1 2 "Responsible approach to concussion in the AFL" (PDF). AFL community club. May 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Hird has surgery on facial injuries - smh.com.au". www.smh.com.au. 6 May 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Davis, Greg (30 March 2011). "Jonathan Browns horrific injury similar to that sustained in car crash". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  4. ↑ McINTOSH, ANDREW S.; McCRORY, PAUL; COMERFORD, and JOHN (1 January 2000). "The dynamics of concussive head impacts in rugby and Australian rules football". Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 32 (12): 1980–1984. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200012000-00002 . PMID   11128839.
  5. 1 2 3 King, Tyler; Rosenberg, Michael; Braham, Rebecca; Ferguson, Renee; Dawson, Brian (1 January 2013). "Life after the game – Injury profile of past elite Australian Football players". Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 16 (4): 302–306. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2012.09.003. PMID   23058879.
  6. ↑ AAP (24 February 2013). "AFL star blames concussion for memory loss". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Brain damage expert urges AFL and NRL to do more to protect players". ABC News. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
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