24 November 2005 - Sporting Injuries
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), the independent body which advises the Secretary of State for Social Security on the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme, today announced the publication of its Position Paper ‘Sporting Injuries’.
- Content of the Position Paper
- Conclusions
- The full text of IIAC’s Report will appear on the Council’s website www.iiac.org.uk
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) has undertaken a review to examine whether there is evidence to support the inclusion of medical conditions that may arise as a consequence of being engaged in professional sporting occupations.
The review examined whether there is a risk of dementia resulting from head injuries to footballers, boxers and jockeys; the risk of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee in footballers and finally, whether footballers are at an increased risk of motor neurone disease.
Dementia and head injuries in footballers, boxers and jockeys
There is insufficient scientific evidence to recommend the prescription of dementia as a consequence of head injuries in boxers and jockeys. IIAC found insufficient evidence to support prescription of dementia, or motor neurone disease in footballers as a consequence of heading footballs.
Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee in footballers
There is insufficient evidence to recommend the prescription of osteoarthritis of the hip or knee in footballers. It is well established that discrete, identifiable, traumatic injuries can lead to the development of osteoarthritis in later life; this outcome is covered under the accident provisions of the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme.
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Prepared by: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC)