Concussion injuries are quite difficult on many fronts.
I think there are very significant concerns with the hasty implementation of this ( well intentioned and medically wise) rule, and the apparent lack of support to the clubs and coaches over its introduction.
Like most things, concussions can be mild, moderate and severe. Milder cases can be very difficult to diagnose; they are definitely not black and white and are open to interpretation even for doctors. Let alone doctors standing on the edge of a footy field without access to their full diagnostic aids, and often are called upon to make speeedy decisions where the benefit of taking time to observe progress is restricted.
Helmets are not the answer because it is the sloshing of the brain in the skull 'box' that stretches nerve cell fibres and damages them that causes concussion, and helmets do not prevent that happening to any significant degree.
It takes a week for the stretching/bruising of the nerve fibres to settle down, and a second such injury within that week can do much more, and potentially permanent damage as the nerves are in a heightened state of vulnerability.
People shouldn't even run during that rest week, as even jogging bounces the brain around inside the skull. Should def not go back into the game and should miss a week for a mod to severe concussion.
Rightly or wrongly, when I was learning about this stuff many years ago, the conventional wisdom was four concussions with a loss of consciousness and that was your career with contact sport done and dusted.
Re the sub rule, the AFL brought that in first, then almost as the season started, they then said, "Oh, BTW, concussed players can't come back on"
Well that's fair enough from a medical viewpoint, but they then needed to add at least another sub to the game, ie 3 interchange, two subs.
With this concussion rule, which medically is valid, there is now too much incentive to whack a key player, get the sub on in the first qtr, someone else gets injured, pretty much game over.
It would not be reasonable in any match, let alone say a grand final, if your star player gets whacked behind play, he can't come back on; your bench and rotations are severely compromised by one thuggish or accidental unlucky hit.
Urgently need two subs, or even three, to support this concussion rule, and avoid it having too high a chance of changing results of matches.
This will avoid, as Judd completely correctly implied, Drs and coaches calling mild to mod concussions something else, like 'he was only just dazed, not truly concussed'
As I said, it is indeed a grey diagnostic area and way too open to interpretation and hence subversion.
Look at the Brisbane guy, clearly concussed, was it Mitch Clark, who came back on, just six minutes after going off in the last qtr, when the match was on the line.
It is completely naive to believe Drs are not open to bending the rules to suit their team...they are human, are usually huge barrackers for the team they look after.
I worry the team actually doing the right thing in terms of fair play and correct medical application of the AFL's well intended, but woolly and ill supported concussion rule, will be the one punished on the scoreboard, without the necessary structure and supports in place.
Thank you if anyone actually read this.
__________________
Magpies swooop on grand final win in Saturday’s second-chance decider.
I think there are very significant concerns with the hasty implementation of this ( well intentioned and medically wise) rule, and the apparent lack of support to the clubs and coaches over its introduction.
Like most things, concussions can be mild, moderate and severe. Milder cases can be very difficult to diagnose; they are definitely not black and white and are open to interpretation even for doctors. Let alone doctors standing on the edge of a footy field without access to their full diagnostic aids, and often are called upon to make speeedy decisions where the benefit of taking time to observe progress is restricted.
Helmets are not the answer because it is the sloshing of the brain in the skull 'box' that stretches nerve cell fibres and damages them that causes concussion, and helmets do not prevent that happening to any significant degree.
It takes a week for the stretching/bruising of the nerve fibres to settle down, and a second such injury within that week can do much more, and potentially permanent damage as the nerves are in a heightened state of vulnerability.
People shouldn't even run during that rest week, as even jogging bounces the brain around inside the skull. Should def not go back into the game and should miss a week for a mod to severe concussion.
Rightly or wrongly, when I was learning about this stuff many years ago, the conventional wisdom was four concussions with a loss of consciousness and that was your career with contact sport done and dusted.
Re the sub rule, the AFL brought that in first, then almost as the season started, they then said, "Oh, BTW, concussed players can't come back on"
Well that's fair enough from a medical viewpoint, but they then needed to add at least another sub to the game, ie 3 interchange, two subs.
With this concussion rule, which medically is valid, there is now too much incentive to whack a key player, get the sub on in the first qtr, someone else gets injured, pretty much game over.
It would not be reasonable in any match, let alone say a grand final, if your star player gets whacked behind play, he can't come back on; your bench and rotations are severely compromised by one thuggish or accidental unlucky hit.
Urgently need two subs, or even three, to support this concussion rule, and avoid it having too high a chance of changing results of matches.
This will avoid, as Judd completely correctly implied, Drs and coaches calling mild to mod concussions something else, like 'he was only just dazed, not truly concussed'
As I said, it is indeed a grey diagnostic area and way too open to interpretation and hence subversion.
Look at the Brisbane guy, clearly concussed, was it Mitch Clark, who came back on, just six minutes after going off in the last qtr, when the match was on the line.
It is completely naive to believe Drs are not open to bending the rules to suit their team...they are human, are usually huge barrackers for the team they look after.
I worry the team actually doing the right thing in terms of fair play and correct medical application of the AFL's well intended, but woolly and ill supported concussion rule, will be the one punished on the scoreboard, without the necessary structure and supports in place.
Thank you if anyone actually read this.
__________________
Magpies swooop on grand final win in Saturday’s second-chance decider.
