News Release:
League star supports concussion research
| Date 22/9/03 No 160/03 Paul Harragon, former Australian national and international Rugby League player, is supporting a unique project aimed at minimising the long-term effects of head injuries among school-age sportsmen. As guest speaker at a public meeting in Armidale, he encouraged local parents, teachers and coaches to become involved in the project based at the University of New England (UNE). Speaking particularly about Rugby League he said: "If you can create awareness in youngsters' minds before the age of 17, when concussion starts to become an issue, you're off to a good start." UNE's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Program", funded by the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation and grants from the University, employs a screening procedure aimed at the early detection of brain-function changes resulting from sport injuries. The researchers, from UNE's School of Psychology, have already tested more than 200 students at The Armidale School. About 65 people attended the recent meeting at Armidale Ex-Services Memorial Club to hear Mr Harragon, who has long-standing concerns about the response of players, doctors and coaches to head injuries and concussion in sport generally, and National Rugby League in particular. "Rugby League is the only football code that has no rules in place, at the national level, for defining and responding to concussion," he said. "We should have rules to protect the players. I'd like to see the development of a culture in which the safety of injured players, rather than their desire to return to the field, is always the main consideration." Channel 9 funded the visit to Armidale of Mr Harragon (who is one of the hosts on The Footy Show) to conduct "football clinics" at local schools. At the request of Dr James Donnelly, the leader of the UNE project, he agreed to stay on for the evening meeting.
|
"He very generously devoted several hours to talking to people about his and their concerns, and possible solutions," Dr Donnelly said. "The meeting raised awareness of the issue in the Armidale area, and led to new collaborations between our researchers and schools and coaches." Dr Donnelly said computerised testing programs, that assessed all members of a sport team at the beginning of a season and then after any head injury, had been used in professional sport and leading universities in the United States for several years. He is the first to test children in this way, and to offer the program to schools. "Initially, some mild head injuries suffered on the sports field or elsewhere don't look like they'll have a lasting effect," he explained. "But as many as 15-20 per cent of children may continue to have problems with their thinking or emotions years down the road. We are developing an inexpensive and efficient method for screening mild cases that may need more follow-up." The American company that owns the testing website (Headminder.Com) is making it available at no cost to support the project. This (as well as the grants) allows Dr Donnelly to provide free testing for local schools so that doctors, parents and coaches can make better-informed decisions about whether a child should return to play after injury. Media contact: Dr James Donnelly, School of Psychology, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3772 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3049. A photograph showing James Donnelly (left) and Paul Harragon at the Armidale meeting is available for download. |
