The Newham-based East London rugby club is one of three clubs in Britain taking part in a ground-breaking health trial that aims to improve safety and reduce head injuries arising from concussion.
Researchers hope a new device, WAVi, which measures brain patterns, will help medical staff spot and manage concussion, and make rugby and all sports safer.
The WAVi device involves a series of sensors being placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity, which produces a set of readings. The hope is that a new scan after a suspected concussion might show how the brain has been affected and then guide decisions on when it is safe to start playing again.
The initiative will be tested in experimental use with the three clubs – East London Rugby Club, based at Memorial Park, West Ham, Cornish Pirates and Sevenoaks Rugby Club – and is backed by not-for-profit organisation Love of the Game.
The health trial comes as brain injury and concussion in sport is getting more attention, with a variety of research projects gathering momentum. There has been a growing debate about repetitive heading in football and the long-term risks to players’ brain health. Head injuries caused by collisions in rugby are also a concern.
The push for standardised protocols comes as research suggests the issue may be more acute for women than men. A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open in April 2021 reported that the risk of sport-related concussion in adolescent girls playing football was nearly twice as high as among adolescent boys.
The key test will be whether the talk of new rules to improve player safety are turned into action.
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