21-07-2025
Bendigo concussion clinic booked out as patients travel 200km for treatment
On bad afternoons for a few months last year, 24-year-old concussion victim Jeremy Rodi would forget how he had spent the day.
Constant migraines, nausea and fatigue made it one of the most terrifying periods of his life, and he became anxious about his future.
"My close family was quite scared. It was just so uncertain how I was going to wake up feeling," Mr Rodi said.
"Am I [going to be] able to do the normal things that parents do with their kids?
Mr Rodi is aware of six concussions he suffered while playing football, including as a talented junior footballer who went through Victoria's elite under-18 competition.
He said he had "no idea" some of the blows would have such a big impact on him in his treatment, Mr Rodi saw a specialist in Melbourne.
Now, a concussion clinic has opened in the regional city where he lives, Bendigo, and appointments are booked out.
The AFL has faced a reckoning over its concussion management since former players suffering the long-term effects of concussion launched a class action.
It introduced policies for players and clubs at elite and local levels after a series of high-profile cases of former players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head injuries.
As awareness of concussion grows, so too does demand for treatment in regional areas.
Daniel Hamilton is a sports physiologist and physiotherapist who opened a dedicated concussion clinic in Bendigo in February, the first of its kind in Victoria outside of Melbourne and Geelong.
"People are probably travelling between 100 and 200 kilometres," Mr Hamilton said.
Mr Hamilton said most of his patients had suffered head knocks during weekend community football.
And even though Australian football is the leading cause of sport-related concussion in Victoria, he said many local club officials were not aware of the education resources available.
"That's half the battle," Mr Hamilton said.
Mr Rodi agreed there was not enough concussion awareness at a local sporting level.
"If you get hit in the head and you're not feeling right, you need to come off and we need to assess you," he said.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 sports concussions occur each year in Australia, most unreported, according to AIS Sports Concussion Guidelines analysis.
Mr Hamilton said he hoped his outreach educational programs on concussion with local clubs would broaden awareness on how to manage head knocks.
"We need to go through the right protocol and the right rehabilitation," he said.
"Things like change of work, change of school [and] lifestyle modification can make a big difference to minimising the risk of getting those symptoms that last for six to eight to 12 weeks.
AFL Victoria advises clubs to use the HeadCheck App, an evidence-based phone application that helps identify concussions.
"Anything that can guide people without the medical knowledge or background is beneficial at the moment," Mr Hamilton said.
However, neuroscience academic Alan Pearce said the management and understanding of concussion in sport should not be based on a phone app.
"One of the things about concussion is that it's a medical diagnosis and no-one else other than a medical doctor can diagnose a concussion," he said.
"What clubs really should be doing is more than just rely on an app.
"Community clubs around Victoria and Australia really need to be developing relationships with their local concussion clinics and doctors in order to be able to look after their players properly."
There is one concussion per 20 players each season in community football, according to the AFL.
But Dr Pearce said he believed the actual figure was six to 10 times higher.
"Many physios and osteos and doctors don't really know what to do," he said.
AFL Victoria has been contacted for comment.
