Sadly diagnosed with MND. A horrible, horrible disease.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 7rddrrlqno

MND affects about 1 in 360 people. 0.3% give or take.

The amount of those who have played rugby and get an MND diagnosis is signiticantly higher than the general population. Would be interesting to see the link between the two, head injuries perhaps?

Just about the worst news you could get. The way rugby has gone, with the size and power of players now, you'd imagine there's a link there. What do you do about it though.

I love both codes of rugby but the players are getting ever bigger and faster and the tackler always leads with their head. I have no solution but I wouldn’t watch tag rugby.
Best wishes to Lewis and family.

ClaretAndJew wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 06, 2025 10:11 am

MND affects about 1 in 360 people. 0.3% give or take.

The amount of those who have played rugby and get an MND diagnosis is signiticantly higher than the general population. Would be interesting to see the link between the two, head injuries perhaps?

Had no idea it was this common. Horrible disease. Best wishes to Lewis and anyone else suffering from MND. Lots to be done to understand it and develop treatments from what I've read. Hopefully slim silver lining of these higher profile cases will lead to greater investment and funding for research.

willsclarets wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 06, 2025 2:45 pm

Had no idea it was this common. Horrible disease. Best wishes to Lewis and anyone else suffering from MND. Lots to be done to understand it and develop treatments from what I've read. Hopefully slim silver lining of these higher profile cases will lead to greater investment and funding for research.

Think it's around 0.3%, which is not really likely you'll ever get it, but common enough for it to be a talking point in the media and for people to potentially know someone with it.

Awful illness

Wonder if the treatment for Huntingdon's might help in future, as that's partly MND?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cevz13xkxpro

ClaretAndJew wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 06, 2025 10:11 am

MND affects about 1 in 360 people. 0.3% give or take.

The amount of those who have played rugby and get an MND diagnosis is signiticantly higher than the general population. Would be interesting to see the link between the two, head injuries perhaps?

I think the BBC article I read earlier mentioned that there has been research showing a link between head injuries and this awful disease. Another piece of research also suggests that elite athletes who often push themselves beyond their limits, which leads to oxygen deprivation can also trigger it if your genes are susceptible to the disease.

Whatever the causes, I think we can all agree that this disease is awful and the sooner a cure can be found the better!

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 06, 2025 11:22 am

I love both codes of rugby but the players are getting ever bigger and faster and the tackler always leads with their head. I have no solution but I wouldn’t watch tag rugby.
Best wishes to Lewis and family.

They are actually starting to get smaller again. Player size peaked around 2009 and now falling again.

There was a big Italian study done on MND, footballers are 6 x more likely to suffer.

They think it's due to oxygen depletion in elite sports affecting people who have the faulty gene, not done to head or player impacts

37 years ago I was a pretty good rugby player, would probably have made it pro if I’d stuck at it and and left the army. To make any money would have had to go to league, which would have suited my game. Though by then professionalism of Union was well underway. I took a knee in the face during a tackle, sparked out, fell badly and dislocated my shoulder. Never stepped onto a rugby pitch again. I think I made the right decision.

theduke wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 7:43 am

They are actually starting to get smaller again. Player size peaked around 2009 and now falling again.

There was a big Italian study done on MND, footballers are 6 x more likely to suffer.

They think it's due to oxygen depletion in elite sports affecting people who have the faulty gene, not done to head or player impacts

I find it hard to believe that anything where you're getting repetitive bouts of head trauma regularly doesn't somewhat contribute to degenerative diseases such as MND.

That Italian study found rates up to six times higher in elite footballers vs the general population, right? To clear up any confusion...

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 8:31 am

I find it hard to believe that anything where you're getting repetitive bouts of head trauma regularly doesn't somewhat contribute to degenerative diseases such as MND.

That Italian study found rates up to six times higher in elite footballers vs the general population, right? To clear up any confusion...

Don't quite get this. Perhaps the data isn't there, but I'd have thought if this was the case you'd see similar instances I'm endurance athletes; cyclists, rowers, long distance runners off the top of my head. I read rugby players had a x15 instance. You see other brain disease in sports like American football which is directly linked to repeat concussion, it seems very logical that trauma would have correlation to MND.

But I don't know, obviously. There seems to be relatively little solid data on causation that's conclusive.

I think there's more of a proven link with CTE. Oddly MND doesn't appear to be an issue with boxers.

Caballo wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 11:25 am

I think there's more of a proven link with CTE. Oddly MND doesn't appear to be an issue with boxers.

I wonder whether this is just due to the sample size of boxers versus those who play team sports? Or that boxers only do their sport every so often, compared to weekly. Although, I suppose, sparring etc would count when they train?

I imagine it will be numerous factors though, but sample size for sure plays a part.

willsclarets wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 10:49 am

Don't quite get this. Perhaps the data isn't there, but I'd have thought if this was the case you'd see similar instances I'm endurance athletes; cyclists, rowers, long distance runners off the top of my head. I read rugby players had a x15 instance. You see other brain disease in sports like American football which is directly linked to repeat concussion, it seems very logical that trauma would have correlation to MND.

But I don't know, obviously. There seems to be relatively little solid data on causation that's conclusive.

A few things i'd say on that... i'd say elite cyclists and runners are much fitter than footy players and deffo Rugby players from the 90's and 00's. Skiers are 4 x more likely to get MND than the population and thats not a contact sport.

Also Farmers and Army Vets have a similar chance to Rugby players.

NFL and Rugby players have an almost identical concussion rate but NFL players have a 4 x higher risk compared to 15 x for Rugby players. So the head trauma alone doesn't explain it.

ClaretAndJew wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 12:08 pm

I wonder whether this is just due to the sample size of boxers versus those who play team sports? Or that boxers only do their sport every so often, compared to weekly. Although, I suppose, sparring etc would count when they train?

I imagine it will be numerous factors though, but sample size for sure plays a part.

Yeah theres a lot of truth in that C&J
Most boxers wont spar properly until around 4-5 weeks before their fight for that very reason and a lot wont spar heavy. Theres no benefit to being punched in the head, its all body sparring, bags, pads and fitness work with a few weeks of proper sparring.
At the top level its probably the most regulated sport with brain scans done frequently to ensure nothing is changing.

theduke wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 12:15 pm

A few things i'd say on that... i'd say elite cyclists and runners are much fitter than footy players and deffo Rugby players from the 90's and 00's. Skiers are 4 x more likely to get MND than the population and thats not a contact sport.

Also Farmers and Army Vets have a similar chance to Rugby players.

NFL and Rugby players have an almost identical concussion rate but NFL players have a 4 x higher risk compared to 15 x for Rugby players. So the head trauma alone doesn't explain it.

Farmers and army vets is an interesting one. With skiers, concussion is a common injury with crashes so less of am outlier I'd say in terms of head trauma.

Like I say, not arguing at all I don't understand the implications. Quite prepared to believe head trauma doesn't tell the full story. Thanks for sharing!

ClaretAndJew wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 06, 2025 10:11 am

MND affects about 1 in 360 people. 0.3% give or take.

Seriously?

That is a frightening stat if true.

I read: "Studies have shown that frequent, strenuous exercise may increase the risk of MND in genetically vulnerable people."

"Studies, including some on Italian footballers, have shown disproportionately higher rates of MND among elite athletes."

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 07, 2025 8:14 pm

Seriously?

That is a frightening stat if true.

It’s actually 1 in 300 so. 0.3%

https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/de ... 202023.pdf

It’s still incredibly rare but yes, scary.