Hedkayse is a company that was formed out of a tragedy when the founder George Fox lost a friend in a bicycle accident. He manufactured the first bicycle helmet through studying the various grades of foam and what protection each one offers. Body heat and cold change the composition and why research has to be done. This is why those of you who have a memory foam mattress on your bed will notice it is harder in winter and softer in summer a sit is affected by heat. When a company is created through genuine concern instead of greed and profit you have the grounds for a great business model and why Hedkayse will find the best solution available.
Rugby is currently going through some turmoil with many ex players suffering from brain injuries. This was bound to happen when the sport moved from the amateur era in to professionalism. The players could now spend more time in the gym working on their bodies turning themselves into the ultimate athletes.
As I mentioned in my post last night the only protection we had back in the early 1990's was a gum guard and common sense. Unfortunately the introduction of padded chest gear made certain players believe they were now invincible with the only problem being they forgot that their heads are exposed. The first new head gear has been undergoing a trial with a player using it for practice sessions and will be sued next weekend for the first time during a match. It should have been used last weekend, but the head gear went missing via team mates and shows how seriously these fools are taking this. This is no joking matter and even if it helps by offering an extra 20% protection against concussion it is better than nothing.
I do think the head gear is a step in the right direction for the head clashes but this does not prevent the brain moving around in the skull during impact. The whipping action of your head is where the real danger lies and not necessarily the blow. Look at the stats for the American NFL players as they suffer from exactly the same brain disorders and they wear helmets. This is not going to make rugby safer over night and is only covering the cracks temporarily and everyone knows this.
The Rugby Football Union know they have to have shown they are doing something positive for the game due to the 207 affected players taking them to court. The truth is that there is no magical piece of head gear that is going to change the outcome especially since this is a hidden injury that shows itself later in life.
The solution has to go down to everyone involved from the players, the coaches and the officials in charge on the field of play. Common sense needs to prevail and get rid of the machoism in one go.
Currently if a player is deemed to have taken a hit to the head he is ushered of for a head injury assessment known commonly as a HIA by independent doctors. Surely if the player has taken a big enough hit that people were concerned in the first place then he/she should sit the rest of the game out and be replaced. No one can tell accurately what the effects of a big hit really are and how badly bruised your brain is inside your skull as that is what we are talking about.
During the 2019 World Cup there were 68 head injuries over the 45 matches working out to 1.33 head injuries per game. Only 36 players were taken off the field for assessments using the HIA method of which 23 failed the concussion test. My question is what about the other 32 players who were ignored and continued playing on. The awareness now is improving which it has to knowing how serious this is especially with player welfare in mind.
Rugby is a contact sport so it is never going to be 100% safe and the players know this. With this type of injury there is no cure so prevention has to be the focus and why common sense needs to be used. The tackle law is already being worked on and can still be improved and feel punishments could be far harsher for players not making the correct adjustments when executing the tackle. Rugby team squads will be much larger knowing players will be replaced for what was not deemed an injury before.