Is this the key to reducing rugby concussions? Updated: 10:55 EDT, 29 August 2022
The number of concussions in elite English rugby has risen to 28 percent since records began. Rugby Football Union (RFU), in an effort to combat the rise in concussions, has begun to roll out its smart mouthguard program. Prevent Biometrices developed the mouthguards that can monitor head contact frequency and intensity. MailOnline’s Shivali Best visited Cheshunt Rugby club to learn how they work in practice, ahead of their rollout in the women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later in the year. How do mouthguards work? Although the mouthguard appears similar to any other, it actually contains clever technology. Drew Goodger, Vice-President of Customer Success at Prevent Biometrics explained that the mouthguards are structurally no different from your standard off-the-shelf one. “They do have an accelerometer and GPS, which measure your head’s movement in contact and non-contact situations. You also have small components such as batteries and Bluetooth transmitters which can capture this information and project it in real-time to an iOS app. Every collision, the mouthguards wirelessly transmit information such as count, load, direction, location, and linear motion. Dr Falvey stated that the speed of head movement can be used as a proxy for head impacts – if your head hits, your head moves quickly. ‘Advertisement
The RFU released its audit of the 2020-21 Rugby season in June. It revealed that concussion was the most common injury reported for the tenth consecutive year, accounting for 28 percent of all injuries. MailOnline was informed by Dr.?anna Falvey who is the Chief Medical Officer at World Rugby. She explained that this is likely due to better diagnosis. He said that they have spent a lot of time correcting and educating concussion. “As we have seen concussion rates rise, so have the rates of other contact injuries such as shoulder dislocations and fractures. “In reality, we are probably seeing the same rate as before, but we are actually seeing it more clearly. Dr Falvey stated that although concussion diagnosis has improved, the challenge now is to reduce the rate. He stated that the goal is to bring down the rate by introducing safety measures to the game and limiting the number of concussions, head injuries, and impacts that occur. There have been several measures taken to reduce the rate of concussion. One such measure is the Head Contact Process which was introduced last year. Dr Falvey explained that if a player makes contact with the head of another player, they could be given a red card and removed from the game. Players and coaches are being educated about the dangers of head injuries. Although most of the time it is not foul play, we want players to know that the best way to prevent players from getting head concussions and head impact events is to make sure they aren’t being hit in their heads. Dr Falvey stated that this is the most basic. Dr Falvey said that this is the most basic sign of a concussion.
World Rugby and Prevent Biometrics have teamed up to create a smart mouthguard that could reduce concussions. The mouthguard appears like any other, but it actually contains smart technology. Drew Goodger, Prevent Biometrics’ Vice President of Customer Success, explained to MailOnline that the mouthguards are structurally no different from any other mouthguard. “They do have technology, however, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a gyroscope that measure your head’s movement in contact and non-contact situations. You also have small components such as batteries and Bluetooth transmitters which can capture this information and project it in real-time to an iOS app. MailOnline’s Shivali best was fitted with a mouthguard by Cheshunt Rugby Club. The entire process took only minutes. It’s really no different than what you see at community level on daily basis. The mouthguard is placed in boiling water for 20 seconds. Once it’s cooled, you can fit it and you are ready to go. It takes about 10-15 minutes to set the software up, and then you’re ready for the season. Shivali was fitted with a mouthguard and took part in a training session alongside players from Cheshunt Rugby club. The mouthguard recorded the count, load, direction, load, linear, and rotational motion of Shivali every time she was involved in a collision. After the training session, Shivali was shown the results of her collisions using an iPhone app. The strongest collision resulted in 9Gs (Gforce). Dr Falvey stated that the speed of head movement can be used as a proxy for head impacts – if your skull is struck, your head will move quickly. Former players call for more to reduce concussion. Many former players have called for more to reduce concussions within rugby in recent years. Ryan Jones, a former Wales captain, is representing 185 players in a lawsuit against the game’s ruling bodies. He warned of a “ticking time bomb” of early-onset dementia diagnoses as well as other neurological impairments in rugby. Jones, 41, is suffering from both early-onset dementia (EOD) and probable chronic traumatic.encephalopathy. As rugby continues to deal with the effects of head injuries sustained by its players, Jones believes that rugby is ‘walking headlong into a catastrophe’. Jones, who won 75 Welsh caps, and was the leader of his country on 33 occasions, said that he feels like his world is crumbling. I am really scared. Ex-Wales back row Alix and Steve Thompson, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning hooker, were among the players who were diagnosed with the same brain injuries that Jones .<!-.
Shivali's data was only for demonstration purposes. However, data from real rugby players can be used for the development of more specific contact guidelines that can be used at both a professional and community level. Dr Falvey stated that the Contact Guidelines for the Game were launched last year. These guidelines outline the minimum contact a player should have during their training week and in the weeks leading up to a game. We'll use data from the mouthguards as a basis for that and refine it further, to limit unnecessary events. The mouthguards have been tried out with several teams, including the Harlequins men and women, the Bristol Bears women, Northampton Saints, the Red Roses, and the Red Roses. They will also be used in the women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later in the year. All professional English teams will also receive the mouthguards during the upcoming season. The data is being used to develop contact guidelines. Dr Falvey believes that the mouthguards could also be used in the future for flagging concussions in real-time during games. He explained that if there is a significant impact event, it can be set a threshold. "Player 15 had an impact even though it was not above a threshold," said a person who could be at the pitch with an iPhone. "We are hopeful that over the next few years we will be able to find a level that is indicative of someone we want to have a closer look at. World Rugby is unable to roll out the mouthguards more widely due to their high price. The current price range for mouthguards is?200-?300, which is significantly more than the off-the-shelf alternatives. Mr Goodger stated that the long-term goal is to lower the price as much as possible in order to make it more accessible at a community level. Our ultimate goal as a company is to make it accessible to all by making it affordable, scalable, and easy to use for every rugby player. "Several former rugby players have called on the government to do more to reduce concussions. Ryan Jones, a former Wales captain, is representing 185 players in a lawsuit against the game's governing body. He warned of a "ticking time bomb" of early-onset dementia diagnoses as well as other neurological impairments in rugby. Jones, 41, is suffering from both early-onset dementia (EOD) and probable chronic traumatic.encephalopathy. As rugby continues to deal with the effects of head injuries sustained by its players, Jones believes that rugby is 'walking headlong into a catastrophe'. Jones, who won 75 Welsh caps, and was the leader of his country on 33 occasions, said that he feels like his world is crumbling. I am really scared. Ex-Wales back row Alix and Steve Thompson, England's 2003 World Cup winning hooker, were among those who have been diagnosed with the same injuries as Jones. Concussion is a red herring. All head hits can cause brain damage. Sports insist that they are doing more to prevent concussions from athletes. However, Boston University (the leading center on this topic) published a groundbreaking study in January to demolish the obsession with concussions.Concussions, they found, are the red herring: it is not a 'big hit' that triggers the beginning of a neurodegenerative brain disease. It is not a "big hit" that makes it more likely. Brain disease is more likely if there are many subconcussive hits. In a nutshell, any tackle or header in a game or in practice increases the chance of a player developing a neurological disorder. 2. CTE is the most feared disease. Head hits can cause brain injuries such as ALS (the illness Stephen Hawking suffered from), Parkinson's disease, and dementia. CTE seems to be associated with head injuries, while the other diseases are more common in non-athletes. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disorder, is caused by repeated blows to the head. It is similar to Alzheimer's because it starts with inflammation and a buildup of tau proteins. These tau proteins build up in the frontal brain lobe. This controls emotions and judgment, similar to dementia. This process can trigger symptoms such as confusion, depression, and dementia. This affects the amygdala as well as the hippocampus which control emotion and memory. 3. What are the symptoms of CTE? Some people have described their experience as being 'ghosts'. CTE affects emotion and memory, spatial awareness, anger control, and emotion. Symptoms include:Suicidal thoughtsUncontrollable rageIrritabilityForgetting names, people, things (like dementia)Refusal to eat or talk 4. No. CTE can be diagnosed at any time. No. There are a variety of studies that have been done on former and current players to identify biomarkers which could be used to diagnose CTE. Advertisement
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