Concerns raised that not enough is being done to address head injuries among footballers

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Every weekend, thousands of Victorians take to the field to play suburban or country football. It can be tough and uncompromising, bringing with it the risk of concussion, but concerns have been raised about how those head injuries are treated. There's only one concussion clinic outside Melbourne and Geelong, putting the onus on bush footy leagues to do more to address the issue.

Transcript

00:00For Jeremy Rohde, the impacts of concussion in community football are raw.

00:07I started experiencing like nausea, sensitivity to light.

00:12Like I was in a fog some days when, you know, I'd be at work and I don't remember the last hour of work.

00:19It's quite scary.

00:21The 24 year old has already suffered six concussions while playing football across the state,

00:26including one last year resulting in weeks of severe symptoms and appointments with doctors in Melbourne.

00:32The doctor told me I'm walking a fine line.

00:34If you get hit again then you might be considering retirement and being medically retired.

00:40So that's something I live with.

00:41But for the thousands of Victorians who play bush footy every weekend, help is harder to find.

00:47Dan Hamilton recently opened a new concussion clinic dedicated to rehab in Bendigo,

00:53but it's the only specialist clinic outside of Melbourne or Geelong.

00:58People are probably travelling between 100 and 200 kilometres.

01:01We're open two and a half days a week and we're booked out.

01:04Many physios and osteos and doctors don't really know what to do.

01:08The AFL is facing a class action from former players as more stories emerge

01:13of the often tragic consequences of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

01:17But while it's raised the alarm about concussion at the elite level,

01:21it remains a grey area in community football.

01:24The AFL advises clubs and leagues to use the HeadCheck app,

01:28which is a collaboration between the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and concussion experts.

01:34It assists with concussion identification, management and recovery.

01:39But Alan Pearce isn't convinced about the approach.

01:42What clubs really should be doing is more than just relying on an app

01:47in order to be able to make sure that their players are properly assessed.

01:50...

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