NRL doctor asks why Dwyer walked off

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-doctor-asks-why-wests-tigers-forward-simon-dwyer-walked-off/story-e6frfgbo-1226081957640

THE NRL's chief medical officer Ron Muratore has questioned the Wests Tigers' decision to walk injured back-rower Simon Dwyer from Campbelltown Stadium with nerve damage in his neck.
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The sight of Dwyer being assisted from the field in the first half against the Bulldogs was one of the worst advertisements for the NRL.
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Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys admitted the vision of a disoriented Dwyer being so unsteady on his feet was uncomfortable to watch. The club intends to review its medical assessment procedures after the incident, but stands by Dwyer's treatment on Friday night.
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There is no set procedure on when a player must be medi-cabbed or stretchered from the field. But the Tigers denied Dwyer suffered a heavy concussion, something NRL chief medico Muratore disputed.
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"I couldn't believe they (walked Dwyer off). I wasn't there, so I don't know what they were thinking, but he didn't seem like he could stand up," Muratore said.
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End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
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"He was pretty significantly concussed."
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When told Tigers doctor Scott Burne's initial diagnosis was Dwyer had suffered a shoulder injury and no concussion, Muratore responded: "But he couldn't stand up. They should have realised when they stood him up that he couldn't stand.
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"From what I could see on the television, the guy was jelly-legged. He couldn't stand, he didn't look like he knew where he was.
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"I can't be critical because I wasn't there, but it didn't look good. The way he was holding his arm, you could see that there was no use in that arm.
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"If you look at the tackle, it didn't look like it was a shoulder injury to me - it looked like a brachial plexus injury. There are five nerves that go down that arm and he's belted them where they form at the neck."
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And as Tigers coach Tim Sheens highlighted, in many instances players refuse to be carried off and insist on walking from the field.
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Muratore maintained even if Dwyer had only complained of a shoulder injury, common sense should have suggested the Tigers back-rower was heavily concussed.
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"We don't have a standard NRL procedure. We leave it up to the doctor and the trainer," Muratore said. "We don't say to them you must stretcher everybody off. You leave it up to their clinical judgment. From what I could see, their clinical judgment lacked a little bit."
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Humphreys maintained the club doctor had made the correct diagnosis.
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"I know Ron well and respect him, but I think if he wants to comment he should wait for an official briefing first," Humphreys said.
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"Our medical staff have confirmed there was no concussion and no concern for spinal injuries.
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"I'm not a doctor and don't pretend to be one, I can only be guided by the experts."
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**When the paramedics arrived at Campbelltown Stadium, they immediately put Dwyer into a neck brace and onto a stretcher before taking him to Liverpool Hospital.**
A CT scan and MRI scan cleared the young back-rower of any serious neck or shoulder injuries and the club is waiting to learn the extent of the nerve damage.

So one set of medicos put him on a stretcher and neck brace…..but another set of medicos think he's OK to walk?

Looks to be some very differing standards of medicl procedures to me
 
It was clear he shouldn't have walked off, he was on the ground and not moving for around a minute before the ref stopped play.
 
He definitely should not have been walked off, the extent of the injury wasn't known. I know the procedures aren't quite up to standard at the moment, but surely common sense should've prevailed in this matter? It's not like using a stretcher/medicab uses up massive resources.

Maybe these procedures prevent this from happening, but i'm still a bit miffed by it all.

At least the initial scans show no damage to the shoulder/neck.
 
Watching Dwyer stagger off the field on Friday night was one of the most distressing things I've seen on a footy field. According to media reports, our medico's reason for not stretchering him off was that he wasn't concussed. HELLO EINSTEIN - he may not have been concussed but he couldn't bloody walk!!!

I just hope he's OK and that there's no lond lasting nerve damage
 
I was pretty disgusted in this. Bad move by WT, should have been stretchered off. My misses is a nurse and she was screaming at the TV totally horrified at what they were doing.
 
Humphreys on radio the next day saying he was fine to walk off reminds me of marshalls manager opening his big trap and stuffing his foot in it when he got charged with assault.
Amateur hour all round.
 
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