Premier League set to trial saliva test to help diagnose concussion

The Premier League is helping to fund an academic study to see if concussion can be diagnosed with saliva

The Premier League is set to trial a saliva test which can be used to help diagnose concussion by funding an academic study, reports the BBC. The study will see whether the biomarkers in saliva can be used to help detect whether or not a player is concussed. The decision to fund it is part of a joint project being worked on by the Premier League, Football Association, EFL and Professional Footballers' Association to help analyse health of the brain. According to the plan, players will be told to provide a baseline swab before being told to produce three further swabs at different time periods following an injury which could leave a player concussed. A similar trial was tested out on male rugby union players back in February, where results of the findings were deemed as 'game-changing.' The Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, highlighted the importance that the studies would be in order to find an answer. He said: "It is important that football has come together to work collaboratively on this issue. "With the help of experts, and alongside other sports with similar challenges, we want to ensure we have the right approach in place to protect the welfare of players." The FA are also working on creating a partnership with the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby in order to help provide access for retired footballers and rugby players to special services designed to help managed their brain health. Earlier last season, the Premier League trialled the use of concussion substitutions following the concerning links between heading footballs and head injuries suffered in football and dementia. Related links:

• England’s Lionesses share experiences of dementia in support of Alzheimer’s Society
• Denis Law: Manchester United legend diagnosed with dementia
• Terry Butcher: ‘I want to see football with no heading’