4 ms·

I played rugby for years and had a constant, mild headache the entire time. Went abroad for five months so I took a break, and I couldn't believe how good I fel

by rory 5y ago

I played rugby for years and had a constant, mild headache the entire time. Went abroad for five months so I took a break, and I couldn't believe how good I felt. I had forgotten what it felt like for my brain not to hurt. Needless to say, I never played again.

unyttigfjelltol 5y ago
The study covered one season and did not cover long term impacts. It's entirely possible that, like the parent comment, the whole team finished the season, tested poorly on cognitive performance, took a few months break and were then back close to baseline. The comments about long-term impact are generally not about one season of ordinary contact in any sport.
- blunte 5y ago
  How many times of being hit in the head is ok? Obviously one wrong hit in the head can lead to death. Is there any acceptable level of being hit in the head? Why this is even a debate is boggling to me.
  - rory 5y ago
    I actually don't think it was primarily caused by hits to the head. Every collision (including tackles and scrums) "rattles" the head in a way that causes pain, and presumably damage, over time.
    - blunte 5y ago
      Ok, forgive me for being imprecise in my language :). Any willful activity that harms the brain should be considered carefully before undertaking. This would include drinking alcohol as well (something which many of us willfully choose).
  - unyttigfjelltol 5y ago
    One wrong step, sneeze, or meal can lead to death. People compete in sport not to get hit in the head, but for other benefits which are legion, just as people become sedentary doing desk jobs not in hopes of suffering ill health from doing no physical activity, but again because their focus is elsewhere.
    - JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
      There are lots of sports that don't involve being hit in the head, people can do those instead.
      - exporectomy 5y ago
        To play a safer sport in a rugby country can make you a "faggot". The entire thing is a social construct after-all. You can't just swap it with something else without heavy-handed government or generations of social change.
- ncallaway 5y ago
  I would be really curious to see a long term study. Based on the short term immediate decline they observed, it does seem like there must be some recovery after the season. Just the compounding effects after a handful of seasons seem like they would be very noticeable. But I’d also be surprised if any recovery were totally complete, either. I loved playing rugby, and would be sad to see results similar to football, but I’m trying to be open-minded about the long term results.
necrotic_comp 5y ago
I had a similar thing with jiu-jitsu in my 30s. It's fairly low-impact as combat sports go (which is great!), but I had been playing other sports (judo and wrestling) for the majority of my life and those have periodic non-concussive impacts. After 20 years of practice, I felt just a touch foggy, and I took a few months off to see if anything changed and if my brain cleared up. It definitely did, and I therefore had to quit so I could continue to do programming work at a high level. Absolute bummer, but that's life, I guess.
- cnity 5y ago
  Have you considered doing BJJ instead?
  - necrotic_comp 5y ago
    That's what I meant, sorry. Japanese Jiu Jitsu isn't really full contact. You get ancillary knocks and bumps in BJJ (catching a knee in side mount, or screwing up a takedown and bonking yourself), and while they're not that bad, after a lifetime of playing for fun, it was time to stop.
    - matwood 5y ago
      Interesting. BJJ for fun (not competition - so start in position and do less full speed take downs) is probably one of the least impact inducing sports I've ever done. Of course getting bumped in the head can happen, but it's usually with newer people. I mostly stick to higher belts and people I know, and I can't think of the last time I got hit in the head. Running and basketball I had to quit because of impact on my body overall, though not so much my head. Wakeboarding I quit b/c of a torn ACL and minor concussions in my 20s. Skateboarding is obvious lol. Surfing doesn't have very much impact, but in big waves there is a whole other set of risks. Anyway, I was just a bit surprised by your comment b/c out of all the sports I've done, BJJ seemed like the one I could do for a very long time just by sticking with people I know and trust.
      - 5y ago

by rory 5y ago

unyttigfjelltol 5y ago

The study covered one season and did not cover long term impacts. It's entirely possible that, like the parent comment, the whole team finished the season, tested poorly on cognitive performance, took a few months break and were then back close to baseline. The comments about long-term impact are generally not about one season of ordinary contact in any sport.

blunte 5y ago
How many times of being hit in the head is ok? Obviously one wrong hit in the head can lead to death. Is there any acceptable level of being hit in the head? Why this is even a debate is boggling to me.
- rory 5y ago
  I actually don't think it was primarily caused by hits to the head. Every collision (including tackles and scrums) "rattles" the head in a way that causes pain, and presumably damage, over time.
  - blunte 5y ago
    Ok, forgive me for being imprecise in my language :). Any willful activity that harms the brain should be considered carefully before undertaking. This would include drinking alcohol as well (something which many of us willfully choose).
- unyttigfjelltol 5y ago
  One wrong step, sneeze, or meal can lead to death. People compete in sport not to get hit in the head, but for other benefits which are legion, just as people become sedentary doing desk jobs not in hopes of suffering ill health from doing no physical activity, but again because their focus is elsewhere.
  - JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
    There are lots of sports that don't involve being hit in the head, people can do those instead.
    - exporectomy 5y ago
      To play a safer sport in a rugby country can make you a "faggot". The entire thing is a social construct after-all. You can't just swap it with something else without heavy-handed government or generations of social change.
ncallaway 5y ago
I would be really curious to see a long term study. Based on the short term immediate decline they observed, it does seem like there must be some recovery after the season. Just the compounding effects after a handful of seasons seem like they would be very noticeable. But I’d also be surprised if any recovery were totally complete, either. I loved playing rugby, and would be sad to see results similar to football, but I’m trying to be open-minded about the long term results.

necrotic_comp 5y ago

I had a similar thing with jiu-jitsu in my 30s. It's fairly low-impact as combat sports go (which is great!), but I had been playing other sports (judo and wrestling) for the majority of my life and those have periodic non-concussive impacts. After 20 years of practice, I felt just a touch foggy, and I took a few months off to see if anything changed and if my brain cleared up. It definitely did, and I therefore had to quit so I could continue to do programming work at a high level. Absolute bummer, but that's life, I guess.

cnity 5y ago
Have you considered doing BJJ instead?
- necrotic_comp 5y ago
  That's what I meant, sorry. Japanese Jiu Jitsu isn't really full contact. You get ancillary knocks and bumps in BJJ (catching a knee in side mount, or screwing up a takedown and bonking yourself), and while they're not that bad, after a lifetime of playing for fun, it was time to stop.
  - matwood 5y ago
    Interesting. BJJ for fun (not competition - so start in position and do less full speed take downs) is probably one of the least impact inducing sports I've ever done. Of course getting bumped in the head can happen, but it's usually with newer people. I mostly stick to higher belts and people I know, and I can't think of the last time I got hit in the head. Running and basketball I had to quit because of impact on my body overall, though not so much my head. Wakeboarding I quit b/c of a torn ACL and minor concussions in my 20s. Skateboarding is obvious lol. Surfing doesn't have very much impact, but in big waves there is a whole other set of risks. Anyway, I was just a bit surprised by your comment b/c out of all the sports I've done, BJJ seemed like the one I could do for a very long time just by sticking with people I know and trust.
    - 5y ago