Leeds skipper to have brain scan after blow to head fails to heal
LEEDS captain Stevie Ward is to have an MRI scan in an effort to get to the bottom of a head injury.
The 26-year-old back-row forward has been ruled out of action indefinitely by the Rhinos after experiencing continued problems with concussion since being hurt in the opening game of the season a month ago.
“We’ve said to Stevie we’ll stand him down indefinitely until we get more medical checks,” said Rhinos head coach Richard Agar.
“He’s failed his return to play protocols for three weeks.
“We had him over to see Hiren Patel at Manchester who is the concussion expert of the Rugby League.
“Hiren set Stevie some strict guidelines and protocols about how to manage himself over the seven to 10-day period.
“Stevie got through a fair bit of that feeling OK but as soon as exercise started again that’s when the dizzy spells and the blurred vision started again.
“Without a doubt that’s a concern for us now, we’re sending him down to London to almost take him up a level if we can.
“He’ll have an MRI scan on his brain to get a little bit deeper information because after three weeks to still be showing the symptoms that gives us a little bit more concern.
“When we’re dealing with issues like this, It’s just not straight forward so we’re sending him on to the next stage.
“It’s frustrating for us all but it’s not something we can take lightly and we’re going to leave this in the hands of the medical experts.”