Australia

2012 Footy Concussion Report #2

Dustin FinkLeave a comment

It is a good time to update what is happening Down Under as the Footy season is now in Round 18 (of 25) and after my interview on FiveAA radio in South Australia and the Kurt Tippet debate that is at least getting our attention (bold for emphasis);

Coach Brenton Sanderson expected the Crows star will resume training next week and return for the round-19 match against Essendon, but said the club would take no chances.

“I’m sure we’re going to see him back really soon,” Sanderson said on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, that’s next week but we’ll make sure we make the right decision.

“We’re not going to force him to go back out and play.

“He’s got to be comfortable, the medical team’s got to be comfortable and, as coaches, we’ve got to be comfortable with selecting him, knowing he’s going to be OK.”

Tippett suffered another head injury in the second quarter of the Crows’ win over West Coast at Football Park last weekend and was subbed out just after half-time.

It was his third concussion in just over a month and raised concerns over his long-term future.

As I stated in my interview the question of a NFL football player playing after a third concussion in five weeks is almost laughable, we rarely see three concussions in a single season, Ben Watson of the Browns last year being the only one we have found.

After the interview I did as much research as I could on Tippett Continue reading →

Noteable Retirement in Rugby

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News of a significant retirement in the sport of rugby (Union or League) rarely makes the press in America, however the first I have found attributed to concussions made its way stateside, via Chicago Tribune and Reuters;

Former England back-rower Michael Lipman has quit the Melbourne Rebels after suffering severe headaches and “haziness” following a concussion during the Super Rugby season.

Lipman had informed his team mates this week, Melbourne’s The Age newspaper reported, but the decision had been brewing for some time, a Melbourne Rebels spokesman said on Wednesday.[…]

“The bottom line is that throughout my career I’ve had so many bangs to the head and I’ve had so much concussion … the last couple have been the icing on the cake,” Lipman told The Age.

“I’ve just had too many. Enough’s enough and when you’re body’s talking to you like it is now, you’ve got to listen to it and be sensible Continue reading →

Good On ‘Ya Mate

Dustin Fink4 Comments

We follow collision sports around the world as this issue is not localized to just North American sports.  With heading in soccer to the aerial displays of winter/action sports to the high-speed knocks in rugby, everyone can stand to learn and be prepared for concussions.  As we have kept saying it is just part of the game.  Yes, we would like to minimize every chance of concussion but realistically now is the time for awareness and proper management.

I keep an eye on Australia, especially now as the AFL is getting ready for play, and have criticized the apparent lack of understanding of concussion in Footy.  The other big sport this time of year Down Under is rugby, with the National Rugby League 21 days away from starting.  This sport to has drawn both good and bad from me and the visitors of the blog, but I read something today from the Herald Sun that makes me want to stand up and say “about time!”; Continue reading →

Footballer’s Migraine: What is that?

Dustin Fink1 Comment

As we highlighted in “More Education Needed Down Under” the prevailing thought in Australia/New Zealand about head injuries is that concussion is a very bad word.  In fact the medical society is even using a term “footballer’s migraine” (FM), that is over 40 years old, to describe lasting effects of being hit in the head.  The Sydney Morning Herald and Nicky Park has just posted a story about the condition;

Footballer’s migraine, a condition that has forced Wallaby Berrick Barnes to take an indefinite break from rugby, remains a mystery to sports medicine experts.

Shane Brun from Sports Medicine Australia says the link between recurring migraine and continuous blows to the head is cloudy.

Symptoms of “footballer’s migraine” are the same as a standard migraine – throbbing head, sensitivity to light, nausea and ringing in the ears.

Of course FM remains elusive, it is extremely outdated, proposed by W.B. Matthews in 1972 the condition has been radically surpassed Continue reading →

More Education Needed Down Under

Dustin Fink3 Comments

If you have followed our attempts at charting the Australian Rules Football concussions you have noticed my overt tone of frustration.  I have even proposed a “cover up”; that may be way more conspiracy than truth.  I do believe that I have found out a reason as to why we are not seeing more concussions in Australia in all sports, lack of knowledge.

In a Sydney Morning Herald story today about a rugby player there are some very SCARY things the doctors are presenting down under;

Doctors have cleared Berrick Barnes of concussion from last Saturday, instead diagnosing him with a less serious condition called footballer’s migraine, which might also explain some of his previous head injuries that have been put down to concussion.

Waratahs team doctor Sharron Flahive said that Barnes sustained a minor knock to the back of the head while playing against the Lions, suffered a delayed reaction of dizziness, and then had such a heavy loss of memory that he could not remember what year it was, which week of the season he was in, or if he had played for the Waratahs last year.

We are going to take this piece by piece; dizziness and loss of memory are obvious signs of abnormal brain function and should have classified this player with a concussion.  But in Australia they are classifying head injuries as “footballer’s migraine” (by the way FM is a term from research in 1972, 40-year-old information), wait until you see what else the Dr.’s are saying. Continue reading →