Scottish study to advance rugby player welfare

Scottish Rugby is seeking the assistance of former international players with a ground-breaking medical project that could benefit future generations. Working alongside world-renowned experts in the field of head injuries, Scottish Rugby is asking Scotland players of the past to take part in a study on the effects of concussion. Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital explained that studies in other sports, particularly in the United States - for example, ice-hockey and American football - have suggested there could be links between head injuries and subsequent emotional, cognitive or physiological function. "What we are looking to find out is if there is evidence that head injuries in rugby union have any long-term health effects. "The importance of us working on this study, particularly with the assistance of Scottish Rugby, cannot be under-estimated. Rugby, globally, has been under the spotlight regarding management of concussion and within the medical world we're still not able to answer the question definitively 'Is there a problem?' "This study, to be conducted through research workers from the University of Glasgow and primarily by , will be incredibly powerful for the game of rugby." Professor of neuropsychology at the University of Glasgow, Tom McMillan, said: "We do not know much about any long-term consequences of head injuries in rugby players so this will be one of the first studies of its kind. "We may find there aren't any long-term consequences.