The alarm bells were sounded by a pediatric neurosurgeon in Great Britain, but his colleagues in the South West could also have said the same. In an article published in the British medical journal, the doctor explains: “all the doctors who, like me, spent hours collecting bone fragments on the frontal lobes of teenagers playing rugby should have the right to give their opinion on the safety rules of this game. Because this sport exposes all players, large and small, to the risk of serious physical injuries. “
By writing in the BMJ, Michael Carter, neurosurgeon at the Bristol hospital (Great Britain) does not want to ban this sport to the youngest. But he would like medical institutions and sports clubs to work together on the risks faced by children. Because “as in other contact sports such as boxing or American football, studies suggest that several blows to the head can cause damage to the brain and lead, later, to dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases”.
Some injuries have lifelong functional consequences
Fractures, dislocations, ligament ruptures and dental or maxillofacial injuries are common. “Some injuries can have lifelong functional consequences, making it impossible to access certain professions and predisposing children to degenerative problems later on.” Damage to the brain and spine is rarer, but it does happen. After consulting his colleagues across the Channel, the doctor has identified around twenty serious injuries requiring intervention in children over the past ten years, including 5 spinal cord injuries, several head injuries and two deaths.
“These injuries are rarely, if ever, encountered in other sports. In addition, some concussion-type injuries are often misdiagnosed and can have serious educational and psychological consequences,” insists the neurosurgeon.
Also, according to the doctor, it is essential that schools, sports clubs and, most importantly, regulatory bodies now cooperate to quantify the risks of rugby played by children and adolescents.
