WORCESTER Warriors’ doctor Nick Tait has spoken of the need for players to recover fully after suffering concussion.

Dr Tait is responsible for overseeing the medical welfare of the Aviva Premiership outfit’s first-team, academy and Worcester Valkyries.

He has also been the club’s pitch-side doctor for the past 13 seasons which has seen him deal with many different injuries including blows to the head, lacerations or dislocations.

There has been a particular focus on the issue of concussion in recent years in the wake of an increased awareness of the long-term effects for players.

And Dr Tait stressed the importance of avoiding second-impact syndrome which occurs when a player who sustains a second head injury before the symptoms of the first knock have fully cleared.

“There have been concussion rules in place for many years,” Dr Tait said.

“But historically they haven’t been managed properly and players have returned to play before they were ready.

“Second injury syndrome is a serious problem.

“More often than not, you can’t avoid the first concussion – that’s part of the game and just bad luck.

“It’s second injury syndrome which you can avoid and that’s where the damage is done.

“The danger with second injury syndrome is the brain is still fragile and then a player gets another knock which makes the problem worse and they could then suffer with a bleed, swelling and brain damage.

“People can end up with epilepsy, insomnia, memory and concentration problems.”

Warriors forward Gerrit-Jan van Velze missed almost the entire 2016-17 campaign due to a knock to the head picked up in the opening game against Saracens.

But the extra time on the side-lines appears to have paid dividends for the 30-year-old who featured 24 times for the Sixways side last season.

Former Worcester fly-half Tom Heathcote also spent several months recovering from concussion after sustaining a series of head injuries.

On an average matchday for Warriors, Dr Tait arrives at the ground at 11.30am to start preparations and ensure players are strapped up and ready to go.

Following his pitch-side duties, he will provide medication for the walking wounded and will leave only when he is happy all the players are medically well.

He will then return for an injury clinic the following day, organising scans where they are needed and dealing with any new issues which have arisen.

“A matchday is all about knowing which players you can keep pushing to get them through and which ones need a rest,” Dr Tait said.

“The forces their bodies are subject to on the pitch can be extreme.

“On average, a full head-on frontal collision will send something like 8g to 10g through the body – the force of gravity multiplied eight or 10 times every time they go in for a tackle.

“Because of this, the players’ health and safety is paramount.

“I’m not there to watch the match or enjoy the rugby, I’m there to make sure the players are looked after in the best possible way.”

Dr Tait also works for TFJ Private GP Services, based in Leamington, and is an instructor on the RFU’s Immediate Care in Sport (ICIS) course. All medical professionals working in Premiership and Championship level rugby need to have the ICIS qualification, which has proved to be such a success it is now being taught in Australia and Hong Kong.

“People have died on the pitch which should never happen, so having people who know how to keep players safe is so important,” Dr Tait added.

“This course is a real success story.”