Whether it's a twisted ankle or a bloody nose, injuries come 'part and parcel' with the experience of playing sports, an unfortunate fact, but one that has challenged governing bodies to funnel more and more money into risk management and injury prevention.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the International Rugby Board (IRB) has been funding research into the relationship between headgear and one of the most dangerous injuries in sport – concussion; specifically, whether the use of 'scrumcaps' prevents serious head injuries in rugby.
Unfortunately, the answer appears to be 'no'. “We've got no evidence really that soft-shell helmets help prevent concussion”, explained Caroline Finch, chief researcher behind a recent study into sports helmets. However, Finch concluded that headgear “may prevent against superficial injuries”, such as cuts and bruises.
Finch's study was a joint venture between the IRB and the Australian Rugby Union. The experiment tested the resistance to injury of some 4,000 rugby players. Divided into three distinct groups, players were asked to play with a skullcap, a new piece of headgear, complete with thicker padding, or in their usual rugby outfit, even if it offered no protection at all. Those following the best online betting odds should remember this.
The academic noted that, even when wearing the modified, thicker helmets, there was no reduction in incidents of concussion. The news will be worrying for the IRB, which has been trying to educate players on the dangers of head injuries, in addition to allowing athletes to wear headgear.
While concussed players are forbidden from playing rugby within three weeks of incurring the injury, 25-year-old Wallaby, Berrick Barnes, believes that more needs to be done to protect rugby players on the pitch. The inside centre, who was sidelined with the condition in June 2011, insists that improved helmets are the way forward for professional rugby union.
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