Researchers say concussion-induced impairments 'can increase the risk of other injuries'

A world-first study tracked and evaluated the long-term impact of concussion and subsequent injury risk of 1455 sub-elite junior Australian rules football players over a seven-year period.

Researchers found players who suffered a concussion were about 50 per cent more likely to be re-injured in the future, in stark contrast to those unaffected by head trauma.

University of South Australia lead researcher Dr Hunter Bennett says concussion's impact on motor control "can lead to impairments in balance, coordination, reaction time, and decision making" - which in turn can make a player more likely to suffer an unrelated injury.

Now experts are questioning whether current stand-down periods need to be reassessed to allow players to make a complete recovery from a concussion.

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AFL guidelines state the earliest a player can return after a concussion is 12 days, while the NRL's policy includes a mandatory 11-day stand-down period.

"The current recommendation of 12 days post-concussion may not be sufficient to allow full recovery in elite under-18 footballers," Bennett said.

"Concussion is a common injury in Australian rules football that can lead to impairments in balance, coordination, reaction time, and decision making - and these impairments can increase the risk of other injuries if an athlete returns to play before being fully recovered.

"Concussions are a unique injury that occur without muscle tissue damage, instead impacting aspects of motor control.

"Recurrent injuries can significantly impact team success, player health, and career longevity. In elite sports, there is the potential for young athletes to overplay their readiness to return to sport after an injury, as they worry that missing games can exclude them from senior drafting or competition.

"When we know that athletes have a greater risk of another injury post a concussion, it suggests we need unique and careful rehabilitation strategies to monitor when an athlete is fully recovered and ready to return to play."

The findings come as a group of ex-AFL players suing the league and their clubs for concussion damage consider merging claims as lawyers call for cases to be sped up.

Lawyers for former players Ty Zantuck, Liam Picken, Gary Ablett Sr, and two class actions involving Max Rooke and Shane Tuck faced a Supreme Court of Victoria hearing on Wednesday.

The players involved are seeking compensation for the impact concussions had on them during and after their AFL careers.

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