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Smart mouths are the new messageboard
June 2, 2012
Richard Parkinson … leading the concussion study. Photo: Wolter Peeters
NRL players will be fitted with state-of-the-art mouthguards that stand to revolutionise the way the code deals with concussion.
In a plan hatched by Sydney neurosurgeon Richard Parkinson, up to eight players at one NRL club could be wearing the ''smart'' mouthguards made by the Seattle technology company X2 Impact by next March.
The mouthguards have an accelerometer mounted in them and are designed to provide real-time data on on-field collisions and their impact on players' brains, furthering knowledge on the source of concussions and potentially allowing doctors to identify instances of brain trauma even when players are not visibly affected by a head knock.
State of the art ... the mouthguards from X2 Impact.
''It will measure the amount of impact in terms of the degree of force - newtons or whatever unit you prefer to use,'' Parkinson said.
''It will also measure the direction the impact is coming from. It will tell you where you got the hit and how hard the hit was.
''They're going to send me six and hopefully I'll be able to start a pilot trial in March next year. The aim of the study is to look at what forces produce concussions and how much impact we're getting that don't.''
Parkinson has just completed a two-year research paper that has found an increasing trend in incidences of concussion in the NRL, a finding that contrasts the official body's reporting of a static rate of head knock injuries in recent seasons.
Now, he wants to continue examining the sport by using the mouthguards, which have already been worn by American football players. It is believed the Sydney Roosters, where Parkinson's research colleague John Orchard is club doctor, is the likely destination for the pioneering Australian trial.
''We know that concussions are more likely if you're hit from the side. This will tell us how many impacts a player gets from the side and how many are related to concussion because we'll also have the tape,'' Parkinson said.
A storm continues in the US over the subject of concussion and its link with the degenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). More than 2000 former National Football League (NFL) players are involved in about 70 lawsuits against the competition's governing body over long-term negative effects of brain trauma. The deaths of several former NFL and National Hockey League players have also contributed to the heat around the debate.
Experts warn about making comparisons between American football and rugby league - they are radically different games, and in the US helmets have been identified as a contributing factor to brain trauma. However, knowledge on the long-term effects of concussion among rugby league players is minimal.
Former Cowboy Shaun Valentine is the most prominent ex-player to have spoken out on the subject, reporting repeated seizures after having his career ended by head knocks, but CTE can be identified only with a post-mortem examination of the brain.
''[In the US] these guys are getting CTE without concussions. That's been the problem,'' Parkinson said. ''They're not being knocked out and they're still getting CTE. They're ending up with dementia but they don't have a history of getting knocked out. How often is that happening in the NRL? This can tell us.''
X2 Impact co-founder Rich Able hopes the in-mouth device can potentially be used to notify coaches and club doctors when a player should be taken from the field - even if he does not visibly appear affected by contact with his head.
''We are excited to know that Dr Parkinson and his team will utilise our technology in un-helmeted sports like rugby league,'' Able said.
The use of the mouthguards has the preliminary support of the ARL Commission. ''It's a good idea because it will give us some hard data on what sort of forces are involved,'' the commission's chief medical officer, Ron Muratore, said.
Parkinson and his co-authors hope to have their recently completed report, finding a rising rate of concussion in the NRL, published this year.
''It appears to be a real trend which also been seen in other sports as well,'' he said. ''Is it significant? To me that's a political question as much as a medical question. Is it causing increased damage to the people who play? The answer is we don't know yet.''
Smart mouths are the new messageboard
June 2, 2012
Richard Parkinson … leading the concussion study. Photo: Wolter Peeters
NRL players will be fitted with state-of-the-art mouthguards that stand to revolutionise the way the code deals with concussion.
In a plan hatched by Sydney neurosurgeon Richard Parkinson, up to eight players at one NRL club could be wearing the ''smart'' mouthguards made by the Seattle technology company X2 Impact by next March.
The mouthguards have an accelerometer mounted in them and are designed to provide real-time data on on-field collisions and their impact on players' brains, furthering knowledge on the source of concussions and potentially allowing doctors to identify instances of brain trauma even when players are not visibly affected by a head knock.
State of the art ... the mouthguards from X2 Impact.
''It will measure the amount of impact in terms of the degree of force - newtons or whatever unit you prefer to use,'' Parkinson said.
''It will also measure the direction the impact is coming from. It will tell you where you got the hit and how hard the hit was.
''They're going to send me six and hopefully I'll be able to start a pilot trial in March next year. The aim of the study is to look at what forces produce concussions and how much impact we're getting that don't.''
Parkinson has just completed a two-year research paper that has found an increasing trend in incidences of concussion in the NRL, a finding that contrasts the official body's reporting of a static rate of head knock injuries in recent seasons.
Now, he wants to continue examining the sport by using the mouthguards, which have already been worn by American football players. It is believed the Sydney Roosters, where Parkinson's research colleague John Orchard is club doctor, is the likely destination for the pioneering Australian trial.
''We know that concussions are more likely if you're hit from the side. This will tell us how many impacts a player gets from the side and how many are related to concussion because we'll also have the tape,'' Parkinson said.
A storm continues in the US over the subject of concussion and its link with the degenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). More than 2000 former National Football League (NFL) players are involved in about 70 lawsuits against the competition's governing body over long-term negative effects of brain trauma. The deaths of several former NFL and National Hockey League players have also contributed to the heat around the debate.
Experts warn about making comparisons between American football and rugby league - they are radically different games, and in the US helmets have been identified as a contributing factor to brain trauma. However, knowledge on the long-term effects of concussion among rugby league players is minimal.
Former Cowboy Shaun Valentine is the most prominent ex-player to have spoken out on the subject, reporting repeated seizures after having his career ended by head knocks, but CTE can be identified only with a post-mortem examination of the brain.
''[In the US] these guys are getting CTE without concussions. That's been the problem,'' Parkinson said. ''They're not being knocked out and they're still getting CTE. They're ending up with dementia but they don't have a history of getting knocked out. How often is that happening in the NRL? This can tell us.''
X2 Impact co-founder Rich Able hopes the in-mouth device can potentially be used to notify coaches and club doctors when a player should be taken from the field - even if he does not visibly appear affected by contact with his head.
''We are excited to know that Dr Parkinson and his team will utilise our technology in un-helmeted sports like rugby league,'' Able said.
The use of the mouthguards has the preliminary support of the ARL Commission. ''It's a good idea because it will give us some hard data on what sort of forces are involved,'' the commission's chief medical officer, Ron Muratore, said.
Parkinson and his co-authors hope to have their recently completed report, finding a rising rate of concussion in the NRL, published this year.
''It appears to be a real trend which also been seen in other sports as well,'' he said. ''Is it significant? To me that's a political question as much as a medical question. Is it causing increased damage to the people who play? The answer is we don't know yet.''
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