Latest news with #concussions
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Aspiring footy star Riley Mansfield is forced to retire due to the savage effects of head knocks - and he's only 15
A promising teenage rugby league player from Queensland has been forced into early retirement due to repeated concussions, prompting renewed calls to delay tackling in junior sport. Riley Mansfield, 15, was competing in Queensland's elite Dolphins Cup competition when he sustained a series of head injuries that left him unable to attend school for weeks. Riley, who had dreams of playing for the North Queensland Cowboys like his idol Johnathan Thurston, said watching football now is bittersweet. 'I wish I could play every time I watch the footy on TV. I want to be back out there,' he told ABC Sport. His mother, Kristy, described the severity of her son's symptoms following his final concussion in April. 'He was suffering significant symptoms - very light sensitive, noise sensitive, severe headaches - and he's got a pretty strong pain threshold,' she said. 'It took us about six weeks to gradually introduce him back into normal activities. That meant he wasn't able to do school for a period of time.' After consultations with neurologists in Brisbane, Riley was advised not to return to contact sport for at least five years. For the Mansfield family, it's a painful case of déjà vu. Riley's father, Andrew, suffered a broken neck on the same football field in Mackay when he was 15. 'That was my last game of footy,' Andrew Mansfield said. 'I was the width of a piece of hair from never walking again.' The Mansfield family's story has reignited debate around tackling in youth sport, particularly in light of growing research into the long-term impact of repeated head trauma. Griffith University lecturer Dr Joel Garrett has warned that children should not be involved in tackling until at least age 12. 'One of the big reasons is they have a larger head and weaker neck muscles, which puts them at greater risk of some of those rotational forces,' he said. Dr Garrett explained that children between the ages of eight and 12 are at a critical stage in cognitive and motor development. 'An eight-year-old may struggle with the rapid judgements required to execute a safe tackle. 'By 12, they may have developed the ability to make those last-second adjustments. 'We're not saying 'no tackling,' but there needs to be a structured plan leading into it.' In response to growing concerns, the NRL implemented its Player Development Framework in 2024 to improve safety in junior competitions. Under the changes, children aged six and under play League Tag, a non-contact version of rugby league. For under-sevens, the season is split into two halves - beginning with League Tag and transitioning into tackle later in the year. At senior levels, the NRL has strengthened its concussion protocols. Stand-down periods, independent medical assessments, and increased penalties for breaches are now standard. In 2023, the league launched a brain health initiative to fund research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. CTE has been diagnosed in several former players, including Paul Green, Quentin Pongia and Steve Folkes, who were found to have the condition after their deaths. Mario Fenech, another former NRL star, has publicly detailed his struggle with cognitive decline believed to be the result of repeated concussions during his playing career. The disease, which can only be diagnosed posthumously, causes symptoms including memory loss, aggression, and confusion.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Concussion forces teen rugby player to retire amid tackling age warning
Riley Mansfield grew up wanting to play for the North Queensland Cowboys like his idol Johnathan Thurston. He was on all the right pathways, playing in the elite Dolphins Cup competition in Queensland. But the promising teenage footballer has hung up his footy boots and retired, aged 15, following repeated concussions. "I want to be back out there." Riley's mum, Kristy, said his head knocks were so bad, her son spent weeks vomiting and feeling sick afterwards. "He was suffering significant kinds of symptoms, so very, very light sensitive, noise sensitive, severe headaches and he's got a pretty strong pain threshold," she said. "It took us about six weeks to gradually introduce him back into normal activities, so that meant he wasn't able to do school for a period of time. "As a mum it's been hard because just knowing how much your son loves football and playing and he's such an active kid." An expert is now warning children should not be involved in tackling in sport until they are at least 12, after releasing joint research last month. "One of the big reasons is they have obviously a larger head and weaker neck muscles, which puts them at a little bit more risk of some of those rotational linear forces," said Griffith University lecturer in exercise science and physiology Joel Garrett. "Plus, with that developing brain they potentially may be at greater risk of [harm to] long-term brain growth and development as well," Dr Garrett said. So why the age of 12? "Around the ages of eight to 12 is a sweet spot for children's cognitive and motor development," Dr Garrett said. "An eight-year-old, for instance, may struggle with the rapid judgements required to align their shoulder and brace their neck properly when tackling a moving player. "By the age of 12 they may have the ability to make those last-second changes if need be and execute a good tackle that's both safe for them but also the person they're tackling." But Dr Garrett said delaying full-body contact — such as tackling — in junior sport remained controversial. "We don't want it just to be like, 'No tackling,'" he said. "We firmly believe that we need a progression to that and having a really structured plan." For the Mansfield family from Rockhampton in rugby league heartland in central Queensland, Riley's latest concussion in April was a case of deja vu. Riley's dad, Andrew, suffered a broken neck on the same football field in Mackay at the same age of 15. "That was my last game of footy," Andrew said. "I was the width of a piece of hair to not walking ever again." After consultation with a team of neurologists in Brisbane, Riley has been told not to return to contact sport for five years. Kristy said she hoped that all sporting codes across the country continued to shift attitudes regarding concussion through education and awareness like rugby league. "Riley's grown up with footy and it's great to see that the sport is taking it seriously and ensuring that the players are taking the time out they need to be able to recover before they go back and play again," she said. With Riley's dreams of playing in the NRL are over at the tender age of 15, the talented teenager has turned his focus to another sport. Every weekend, Riley hits the softball diamonds, along with his parents, and he has already earned state and national team selection. "He's got a massive future [in softball] and can whack a golf ball too … but still can't out drive Dad yet," Andrew said.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Concussion-hit AB Steve Devine wants collision games axed
Steve Devine in action during the captain's run for the All Blacks 'possibles' team held at McLean Park, Napier, on 2 June 2005. Photo: Photosport / John Cowpland A former All Black says New Zealanders don't understand the risks of head injuries and concussions well enough and the controversial collision game should be stopped. Nineteen-year-old Palmerston North teenager Ryan Satterthwaite died after suffering a catastrophic head injury while he and his friends played the tackle game that's trending on social media. Organised events offering big prize money are also causing concern after being promoted by influencers and content creators. Satterthwaite's uncle told Morning Report the events were "a stupid idea" and should be cancelled . Sports and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell has also asked Sport NZ for advice about what could be done at a government level. Devine knows first hand the devastating effects of concussions and head injuries and says young untrained people are especially vulnerable. "It's a recipe for disaster having two large forces meet, and with a sudden impact and a sudden stoppage for either person generally doesn't bode very well for the brain, especially if it's around amateur people making serious body contact." Steve Devine is stretchered from the field in a neck brace, during a Super Rugby semi-final match between the Blues and the Brumbies, on 17 May, 2003. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The former Auckland player and All Black speaks from experience. He had "serious" ill-health for several years caused by repeated knocks to his head. "It took me a couple of years to get over my last one." One-off bigger collisions could be even worse for the brain, he believed. Devine said social media followers obviously wanted to see this kind of entertainment although he did not believe they would want to see anyone seriously injured. While it might offer them some humour, the other side of it was the serious injury risk it posed for participants. Most people would not understand the serious nature of brain injuries and concussion. People were most at risk when their brain met "a really large sudden force", Devine said. High speed vehicle collisions, falls from horses and contact in rugby and other sports were among the worst examples. "To actively put yourself in that situation I think is a scary and stupid thing. When two great forces collide, there's going to be an impact and quite often it's the brain. "It's something that doesn't need to happen but it obviously is something that is happening which is scary." He believed the events should be banned because they were just a chance for organisers to make some money at teenagers' expense. RUNIT organisers have not responded to requests for comment.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Midday Report Essentials for Wednesday 28 May 2025
technology health 27 minutes ago In today's episode, A former All Black says the controversial collision game is allowing influencers and organisers to make money off head injuries and concussions, New Zealand's privacy commissioner Michael Webster has issued Oranga Tamariki a compliance notice to compel it to do more to fix its deficient training, data sharing and privacy systems, Police are investigating a report of a Christchurch Hospital worker being assaulted on Monday night - the second assault on a hospital worker in the space of a week, and Minister for Regulation David Seymour has taken a razor to regulations in the hairdressing industry but the changes have been dismissed as a waste of time by some.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Youth soccer rule changes have helped reduce concussions, report says
We often think of football when we think of concussions, but girls who play high school soccer are at nearly the same risk for traumatic brain injuries as high school football players. Boys playing high school football suffered the most concussions of any youth sport studied at 10.2 for every 10,000 practices and games. Girls soccer was second at 8.4 per 10,000 times playing. But a recent study shows that rule changes in youth soccer that started in 2016 to reduce concussions are helping. Almost 10 years ago, the U.S. Soccer Federation banned headers for players younger than 10, and players ages 11 to 13 can practice headers for no more than 30 minutes a week. The new report found that since the rule change, there's been a nearly 26% reduction in soccer-related concussions, going from 8.2% of all soccer injuries to 6.1%. Nine-year-old Presley Markich, who plays for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer Club at AHN Montour Sports Complex, knows what a concussion feels like. She was just 8 when she got a concussion playing soccer after colliding with another player. "I started to feel sick in the car. I threw up once we got home. I took a nap because my vision was blurry, and I threw up again and then ended up in the ER for four hours," she said. Her mom, Liz Whiting, said, "As a parent, I really did not want any long-term effects from this, especially at such a young age." AHN physical therapist Kim Kelley suffered three concussions playing soccer in high school and college, all in the midst of going for a header. "In high school, another player and I went up at the same time, and I hit the ball, and she hit the back of my head," Kelley said. The U.S. Soccer Federation also now requires that any time there's a potential concussion, coaches must include the player in an assessment, and if it could be a concussion, they must call in a medical professional. "I think it's really important to stop and make sure that they're evaluated so it doesn't get any worse because there are horrible long-term effects if it continues to happen," Whiting said. Kelley, who works with kids who have concussions, says, "If they get hit in the midst of a current concussion or a fresh acute concussion, potentially it's fatal. You know, we see that those kids have a prolonged recovery, higher risk of prolonged headaches, prolonged symptoms, some higher risks – we're talking about depression, anxiety, things like that." One of the most important things for players to do is to be honest about their symptoms and for parents and coaches to look for subtle signs they may not be telling you about. "You have to be honest with yourself, with everybody else," Kelley says. "It's very hard with these athletes. They're extremely competitive. No one wants to miss any playing time, but we are talking about your career and well-being." Whether it's practice or a game, these young soccer players give it their all – every sprint, every block, every shot. They are passionate about the sport. Eight-year-old Ivy Armel says she loves the "footwork, goalie, scoring." Teammate Adley Valkavitch says, "I like when I have to defend," and Markich says she likes "the games, practicing and all my teammates." Mia Duckstein is 15 and says the coaches teach them how to properly head the ball. "If you do it the right way, it doesn't hurt, but if you do it the wrong way, it kind of hurts a little bit," she says. Her mom, Mikaela Halaja, says, "It's hard not to wonder if and how those headers, even when they do it the right way, are affecting the brain. Even if it's little bumps and bruises along the way, it is definitely a concern." The young players want to win on the field, but their parents often have a longer-term perspective, wanting to ensure they win at life. One interesting note from the study was that girls had fewer concussions overall, but a higher percentage of their injuries were from concussions – 10% compared to 6% for boys. This could be because of female anatomy, because boys have thicker skulls and stronger neck muscles, but there's no scientific consensus. For more on kids activities, go to KDKA is proud to partner with
