Study charts out details of water polo head injuries

A new study has revealed details of the frequency of head injuries in water polo sports and the positions in which players were most likely to get injured.The first-of-its-kind report, which tracked several dozen male collegiate water polo players over three seasons, was published in PLOS One."For years, water polo's head trauma risks have been downplayed or overshadowed by football-related brain injuries," said study co-author James Hicks."Our data quantifies the extent of the problem and sets the stage for additional research and possible rule changes or protective gear to improve water polo safety," added Hicks.During the study, players wore caps embedded with electronic sensors. Over time, every participant got bopped in the head by balls or rival players, but some fared worse - occasionally far worse than others.Offensive players were more likely to get battered than defensive and transition positions (60 per cent versus 23 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively). And swimmers ...