Rugby: depression, headaches, irritability, when concussions ruin post-career

Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin 11:16 p.m., January 3, 2023, modified at 11:22 p.m., January 3, 2023

In recent weeks, several cases have shaken French rugby around the care of victims of concussions.

Twenty players have even decided to take legal action against the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the National Rugby League (LNR) in order to raise awareness about the prevention of concussions in this sport.

Guest of the

program, neurologist Jean-François Chermann first of all wanted to recall what these concussions corresponded to: "They belong to mild head trauma. It is an alteration of neurological functions following an impact that is transmitted to the brain", defined the one who started working on the subject in 2005.

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"It's dramatic"

Many players develop forms of degenerative diseases several years after their retirement from rugby.

A real scourge for them who now want to assert their rights and denounce poor care and poor protection of players during their careers.

These players can thus develop irreversible cerebral complications at any time.

"What happens in these players is a depressive syndrome, chronic headaches, irritability, couple problems, problems after sport, and so it's the management of life after rugby and it's dramatic", noted Jean-François Chermann.

The most difficult part of this post-career management for a rugby player is the uncertainty.

"We don't know what awaits the player, when he will develop a degenerative pathology. Is it based on the number of concussions or is it after taking thousands of impacts at the head?” Asked the neurologist on the 

. 

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Notable progress

But there is still an awareness for a few years: "There has been a rather extraordinary evolution since 2005 in France. We have implemented protocols since 2013 even if they are probably not sufficient", held to underline the former rugby player Mathieu Blin in

before continuing: "There has been a lot of progress such as the training of medical staff, the carrying out of initial tests for all players so that neurologists can have a comparison when there is a concussion, the establishment of a network of neurologists...".

The rules have also evolved in the right direction, in particular with the prohibition of two-man tackles for the young categories or even much stronger sanctions or much quickly taken on high tackles as soon as the neck is affected.

"There has been a lot of progress, but there is still a lot of work to do," concluded Mathieu Blin in 

.