Rugby players to be scanned pitchside for injuries

All male Gloucester Rugby players had a baseline scan ahead of the project

Professional rugby players will have MRI scans pitchside after sustaining head injuries as part of a project believed to be the first of its kind.

Gloucester Rugby and the University of Oxford are undertaking a study into the human body's physiological response to head injuries.

Jono Humphris, operations manager at Cobalt Health, a Cheltenham-based company assisting the University of Oxford with its research, said the "pioneering" project is thought to be the first of its kind worldwide.

Baseline scans of all players will be complemented by video footage and head acceleration data from the instrumented mouthguards players use to explore what happens after a head injury.

Other techniques, including eye-tracking, saliva tests, and pupillometry, will be utilised in assessing the responses.

Professor Constantin Coussios from the University of Oxford, who led the study, said progress had previously been hindered by logistical challenges due to most scanners being located inside hospitals and research institutions, and conventional scans often showing up as "normal" following an injury.

"Advanced MRI techniques have shown early promise in physiological assessment of the brain and could potentially aid in the diagnosis and long-term management of athletes," he said.

"We are grateful to Gloucester Rugby for their commitment to player welfare, and to the players for their consent to undertake this study which we hope, will be helpful in aiding the existing safety measures in place."

The scanner will be in the car park of Kingsholm Stadium, enabling rugby players to be scanned within a few hours of impact

The scanner will be stationed in Kingsholm Stadium's car park.

Subject to player consent, the club hopes to expand the programme to its women's team, Gloucester Hartpury, once the entirety of the squad returns from the Rugby World Cup.