Pat Lambie may quit rugby

[Brigantine]

In other non-sporting professions where there's a risk of a powerful knocks to the head, they wear hardhats, which by volume are mostly empty space - but that empty space is a key part of the protection.

I doubt that availability of materials is the main issue. Possibly more one of specifications. Ultimately pure geometry sets a theoretical minimum thickness too, regardless of how much energy you can absorb. (speed vs stopping distance vs acceleration - it's acceleration of the skull that counts right?)

 

[ratsapprentice]

Hard hats are not to prevent concussion - they are there to stop extremely hard objects fracturing/completely ******* smashing your skull.
The same goes for bike helmets - they aren't worried so much about concussion, but the concrete floor turning your head into a smoothie.

I doubt that availability of materials is the main issue. Possibly more one of specifications. Ultimately pure geometry sets a theoretical minimum thickness too, regardless of how much energy you can absorb. (speed vs stopping distance vs acceleration - it's acceleration of the skull that counts right?)

Well, that's exactly my point - if you can come up with a material that can overcome those issues, you'd be a very, very rich person.
As it is, we currently do not have the technology to make particularly effective protection against concussion.

 

[smartcooky]

The modern problem is that modern athletes are bigger and far more physical. The contacts have far more energy and are a lot more frequent. But there is no known way to train or prepare the brain for the increased energy and frequency of collisions in Rugby.

And this is absolutely key.

We can make all the muscles and sinews stronger through training regimes, and we can strengthen bone mass through supplements and minerals to make the athlete faster, fitter stronger and more resilient, but there is absolutely nothing we can do to the human body to increase an athlete's protection against brain injury, because the brain sits inside a bone casing and is free to move around.

It's not, the material technology required to make a practicable scrumcap that made any sort of significant reduction in energy hitting the brain does not currently exist.

If/when it is invented, it will have a huge impact (no pun intended) on countless industries - seriously, a material that can absorb kinetic energy in the way we are talking about would make it's inventor a multi-billionaire.

In 1982, a British polymer scientist, Dr Maurice Hiles, invented a product which revolutionised the sport of athletics because it offered athletes protection against the worst harmful effects of running; planar facilitis, achilles and IT band tendonitis, chin splints and runner's knee, all of which were caused by the constant impact of the feet and lower legs with the road.

That product was a synthetic visco-elastic urethane polymer made from polyol and isocyanate; it was better known under its trade name of "sorbothane". It is going to take the invention of something like this that will do for the head, what Dr Hiles' invention did for the feet before there is ever going to be a technological solution to the current concussion problems in contact sports.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

One partial solution would be for reduce the number of substitutes as that is encouraging larger physical specimens who lack the fitness for 80 minutes to play.

Subs also mean you are getting fully fit individuals tackling tired individuals which I think may be a dangerous combination (a fatigued body is more susceptible apparently, possibly with slower reaction times). By all means still have 8 substitutes but say you can only pick 3 of them.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

More positive. 3-6 months out and presumably then reassess. Can't believe he is 26, seems to have been around forever.

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/lambie-set-for-lengthy-lay-off/

 

[TRF_heineken]

So, he's just quitting Sharks rugby:

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/racing-92-welcome-lambie-on-four-year-deal-20170912

I see that SARU also cancelled his Springbok Contract.

 

[JohnKA]

So, he's just quitting Sharks rugby:

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/racing-92-welcome-lambie-on-four-year-deal-20170912

I see that SARU also cancelled his Springbok Contract.

Yeah signed with racing , very sad news indeed my fav player i guess i will start watching TOP14 games now

 

[Sixways Cheryl]

Racing stockpiling World Class #10's with Carter & Lambie.

 

[unrated]

Lambie was undoubtedly the best payer we had. And the only thing I wanted was one full season from him. If he played a full season I could see us challenging for the Super rugby ***le much more seriously.

He has been a great servant to KZN rugby. His attitude has always been an example to other players and he was a great role model.

What seriously disappoints me though is that he was injured for the Better part of the last 3 years. The sharks and Saru paid him throughout. The least Lambie could have given us was a full season of Super rugby.
Or atleast just attempt to give the Sharks a bit more minutes before getting injured again.
We kept faith with him through his injuries and then he just says thank you for the faith but I'm going to put my faith in a French team now.

 

[JohnKA]

Lambie was undoubtedly the best payer we had. And the only thing I wanted was one full season from him. If he played a full season I could see us challenging for the Super rugby ***le much more seriously.

He has been a great servant to KZN rugby. His attitude has always been an example to other players and he was a great role model.

What seriously disappoints me though is that he was injured for the Better part of the last 3 years. The sharks and Saru paid him throughout. The least Lambie could have given us was a full season of Super rugby.
Or atleast just attempt to give the Sharks a bit more minutes before getting injured again.
We kept faith with him through his injuries and then he just says thank you for the faith but I'm going to put my faith in a French team now.

I think he was rather thinking about his future , he does not know how much rugby he can still play so he needs to fill the pockets now while he still can and the best way to do this is head to france i think it is more about him thinking about his future beyond rugby

 

[mania]

Hopefully not the case and he is able to continue with a head protector. It underlines the importance of eliminating contact with the head, incidental or intentional. Even if it changes the feel of the sport a little.

They don't do anything.

agree with ratsapprentice here. those head protectors do nothing.
i played gridiron for 11 years and those helmets caused more injuries than they prevented.
only thing that helps vs concussion is the humble mouth guard.
also studies show that having strong neck muscles can help prevent concussions. so now i make my u10's do head pressups (no arms just forehead and feet on the ground and rocking the body up and down).
at the start of the season they could it for 5 secs. at the end they could hold it for a minute.
i love torturing these little guys

lambie is a huge loss. what a waste of such talent.

 

[FrenchFan]

Racing stockpiling World Class #10's with Carter & Lambie.

Carter is on his last season of contract. Racing have started to look for alternatives. I don't know if Lambie is a long term solution for them. I doubt it. The Top 14 has twice the number of concussions than in Super Rugby.

 

[Which Tyler]

agree with ratsapprentice here. those head protectors do nothing.
i played gridiron for 11 years and those helmets caused more injuries than they prevented.
only thing that helps vs concussion is the humble mouth guard.
also studies show that having strong neck muscles can help prevent concussions. so now i make my u10's do head pressups (no arms just forehead and feet on the ground and rocking the body up and down).
at the start of the season they could it for 5 secs. at the end they could hold it for a minute.
i love torturing these little guys

lambie is a huge loss. what a waste of such talent.

Yup - scrum caps are only useful for preventing cuts and scrapes - the damage from concussion is inside the skull - no amount of padding the outside is going to make a significant difference.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Although something I hadn't realised until very recently is that there is some evidence that increasing the volume of blood/fluid inside the skull can quite significantly reduce the incidence of concussion.

Both Rams and Woodpeckers have mechanisms which increase blood-flow to the brain, which prevents much of the mechanical sloshing, and the blood/fluid absorbs much of the force of impacts.

I can see in the future that drugs/supplements and even gene therapy being used to increase the volume of blood in the brain for contact sports athletes.

http://www.cuanschutztoday.org/study-shows-first-link-between-altitude-and-concussion/

http://gizmodo.com/this-woodpecker-inspired-collar-could-protect-athletes-1782249329

 

[unrated]

Pat Lambie rejoins the Sharks according to some reports but only as a kicking coach/consultant.

I hope if he gets involved and when on the training field he slowly gets over his concussion issues and considers a possible comeback

 

[TRF_heineken]

Pat Lambie rejoins the Sharks according to some reports but only as a kicking coach/consultant.

I hope if he gets involved and when on the training field he slowly gets over his concussion issues and considers a possible comeback

Good on him. But I think he will have to see a neuro-specialist a couple of times before he plays again. You can't just get over a concussion, and the damage that it caused may be something permanent.

In law we have term called "cracked-egg skull" when we talk about damage claims. And in essence, it means that some people have a "Cracked-egg" skull in that it's just more fragile than others and there's nothing anyone can do about it. I hope Lambie isn't one of the "Cracked-egg Skull" members though.

 

[JohnKA]

I am a huge fan of Lambie, but I do not want him to play again just for the sake of his health I am however very happy that he is involved with the Sharks again and hope his professional attitude rubs off on our youngsters.

Good on him. But I think he will have to see a neuro-specialist a couple of times before he plays again. You can't just get over a concussion, and the damage that it caused may be something permanent.

In law we have term called "cracked-egg skull" when we talk about damage claims. And in essence, it means that some people have a "Cracked-egg" skull in that it's just more fragile than others and there's nothing anyone can do about it. I hope Lambie isn't one of the "Cracked-egg Skull" members though.

 

[duncanb]

See as well Heinrich Brussow has retired from Saints struggled with us , with injuries galore.
Including a few concussions.
Best of luck to future for both,noted saints saying help Ludlum alot with breakdown work and coaching in general so maybe a future for him in coaching.