Head injuries in sport cost $100,000

More than 80 sports-related concussion or brain injuries were reported in the Wairarapa from 2011 to 2013 - costing our accident compensation scheme more than $100,000.

According to ACC, the number of claims was highest in 2012 at 30, which cost $66,371.

In 2011, 22 claims were made for $14,992 and 29 claims were made in 2013 for $23,449.

Nationally, there were more than 3000 sports-related concussion or brain injury ACC claims a year from 2011 to 2013.

In 2011 these claims cost $1,900,105. In 2012 they passed the $2 million mark to $2,148,705, and in 2013 they dropped slightly to $2,093,815.

Rugby union or league concussion claims nationwide totalled 1787 in 2011, 2028 in 2012 and 2155 in 2013.

Dayle Clarkson, Sport Wellington regional development manager for Wairarapa, said there had been a big push by national sporting bodies to prevent concussions but there were often unforseen circumstances.

A high number of Wairarapa people played contact sport so it was a big concern that the injuries could be permanent, she said. Education by sporting bodies and the seriousness in which medical staff took head injuries in televised sports had probably filtered through to more reporting of injuries at a local level," she said.

ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville said the increase in concussion-related injury claims could be attributed to the better reporting of injuries from improved awareness of concussion symptoms and the seriousness of head trauma.

"The culture whereby a player, being the hard stoic bloke that he was, would shrug off a hard knock to the head and dive into the next tackle is changing, and quite literally from the paddock up," she said.

"The focus of coaches and players is now primarily on preventing injury or, in cases where a player is injured, getting the prompt medical assessment and treatment, and ensuring the right rehabilitation programme is in place if needed."

The number of moderate to serious injury claims had reduced by 15 per cent since ACC introduced injury prevention initiative RugbySmart in 2001, Ms Melville said.

The programme provided coaches with information about minimising injuries, and tested their knowledge of prevention, she said. NZME.