BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Doctor Chris Brookes, the RFL’s chief medical officer, says research shows that professionals who play more games over a period of time can have a negative effect on their brain.
Brookes is a member of the governing body’s committee that has recommended new changes to rugby league to combat concussion, including an overall limit on matches played by forwards and backs each year.
The doctor, who has worked in the sport for nearly 30 years for different clubs and for the NHS, said international concussion research from different sports over many years reveals that “without any doubt play alone is a huge factor in issues that may occur to players later on in life with respect to their brain health”.
“The evidence is that those players who are exposed to an increased load over a period of time, the intensity of that load can have a negative effect on brain health.
“There is a dose-related relationship between head exposure impacts, head acceleration events in the terminology that we use and that the risk of a player developing neurological disease and specifically neurological disease which is recognized for postmortem.
“So CTE NC, chronic traumatic and encephalopathy. That is a postmortem diagnosis.
“So the brains of players who have been exposed to [high] load[s} either in American football or in rugby, both codes and those brains are being analysed.
“There is evidence that there is a dose-related response to the risk of a player having developed CTE over that playing career…
“So, in soccer, and [it’s] very clear there’s a greater risk to players. Outfield players, again with respect to that broad spectrum of neurological presentations, compared with a matched population.
“So, looking at somebody like me who’s never played soccer and then comparing that with those who played soccer in terms of professional soccer, in terms of outfield players, [there’s] increased risk. So again, a dose-related response.”
Under the changes forwards aged over 22 will be limited to 25 full games, roughly 2,000 minutes, over a 12 month period.
Backs aged over 22 will be limited to 30 full games, around 2,400 minutes.
Brookes stated because of all the evidence it was important the RFL took action, not only on tackle height, but on the overall payload players are experiencing.
Brooks has been chief doctor and executive medical director of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Consultant Emergency Medicine, in a career spanning over 40 years. He is the chairman of Wigan Warriors and the chief medical officer for the England national team.
