Even watching TV is painful…
THE raw emotion in Andrew Heffernan’s voice as he describes his struggle to perform everyday tasks such as reading emails and driving a car is painfully vivid.
The 23-year-old Australian centre helped Hull KR to win promotion back to Super League in his debut season last year and was a hugely popular and talented member of Tim Sheens’ squad.
But he has been forced to shelve his career after sustaining repeated concussions in a sport he believes is “the toughest in the world.”
Heffernan last featured for Rovers when scoring in a victory over Widnes on April 7 – a match in which he suffered his latest concussion.
He was sent to see specialists in London who told him not to play again this season, but with his symptoms persisting, Heffernan has now decided to take a 12-month break to focus on his long-term health.
“From the start of last season to April of this year, I’ve suffered five concussions and had at least eight head injuries during my career,” he said.
“With the concussion against Widnes, there wasn’t a great deal of impact, but I had been concussed just prior to that against St Helens.
“What I’ve learned during my diagnosis is that a succession of knocks can cause accumulative damage. That’s when the symptoms came to the surface.” Heffernan sustained damage to his vestibular system, which has the sensory purpose of coordinating movement with balance. He takes regular doses of the prescription painkiller amitriptyline, but still continues to suffer regular headaches and migraines.
Time spent in front of screens – televisions, laptops and computers – can be a painful experience.
“Exposure to light and sound can also affect me, but obviously the main one is exercise,” h e said. “It doesn’t have to be of any great intensity and often, some of the symptoms can be quite delayed. It might be a couple of hours later and I could have a thumping headache, dizziness and nausea. The most difficult part is not knowing how you’re going to feel each day and not knowing why you’re getting symptoms. “I knew I needed to take a break when there was not much improvement and at times I was going backwards.” Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a type of dementia associated with recurrent episodes of concussion and is linked to contact sports such as rugby and boxing. Many people who are concussed do not go on to develop the condition, but evidence suggests a pattern of recurrent minor head injuries increases the risk. Luke Robinson and Kevin Brown have expressed fears over the impact of suffering repeated head knocks in their careers in Super League. Hull’s Albert Kelly will miss the rest of this season due to sustaining three concussions in 2018, while former Australia international Ian Roberts said repeated head injuries left him with brain damage. Heffernan said: “Players will play regardless of whether they are fully fit and there needs to be a better way of managing that because it’s such a brutal sport.
In sports like NFL, pads and protective equipment are used, but rugby league is just body on body and it’s inevitable that you’re going to have concussions, regardless of tackle technique.
“Each case needs to be treated individually rather than just saying, ‘Have a week off and you’ll be fine to return’. Until we accept that, and gain a greater understanding, it’s going to be really hard to diagnose and treat.
“I’ve already had approaches from other sportsmen and women around the world so hopefully if people keep telling their story, it will alleviate some of that stress and get people to the right specialist and treatment plan.”
Hull KR will always hold a special place in Heffernan’s heart and he is hoping to put his experiences to good use back in his native Australia.
Heffernan said: “I hold a degree in exercise science and I’m now doing a Masters in sports rehabilitation. Ironically, that ties in with my own experiences of concussion, so I’ll see what opportunities are out there.
“I’m not going to rule out playing again but my health has to come first. That’s my main focus now.”