Rob Burrow death: What is Motor Neurone Disease and is it related to rugby? Players with MND & symptoms

The tragic death of Rob Burrow has cast a spotlight on the alarming correlation between Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and professional rugby players. The former England international died at the age of 41 after falling ill earlier last week, following a lengthy battle with the rare condition.

Burrow spent his entire rugby league career with Leeds Rhinos and helped them win eight Super League titles. He retired in 2017 but two years later it was revealed Burrow had been diagnosed with MND and, after he raised millions to help build a new care centre for MND patients alongside former team-mate Kevin Sinfield.

There have since been studies which underscore the heightened risk in MND by individuals who have participated in high-contact sports like rugby. According to the University of Glasgow, studies have shown that former international rugby players are 15 times more likely to develop MND compared to the general population. This was determined through comparisons of health outcomes among 412 former Scottish international rugby players and over 1,200 matched individuals from the general population​.

While the studies highlight a correlation, they stop short of establishing a direct causal link between head injuries and MND. However, the frequent head impacts and concussions associated with rugby are suspected to contribute significantly to this increased risk​, according to MND Research Blog. The similarity of these findings to those seen in former professional football and American football players further supports this hypothesis​, suggesting a broader issue with contact sports in general. The studies indicate that the modern era of professional rugby, characterised by more frequent and intense games, might exacerbate these risks​.

Consultant neuropathologist Prof Willie Stewart, who led the research, said it raised immediate questions for rugby authorities to mitigate the risks. He told The Independent: “I am genuinely concerned about what is happening in the modern game, and that if, in 20 years’ time, we repeat this study we would see something even more concerning.

“Rugby has talked a lot and done a lot about head injury management and whether it can reduce head injury during (training). Those conversations have gone on a while and the pace of progress is pretty slow. This should be a stimulus to them to pick up their heels to make some pretty dramatic changes as quickly as possible to try and reduce risk.

“Instead of talking about extending seasons and introducing new competitions and global seasons they should be talking about restricting it as much as possible, cutting back on the amount of rugby we’re seeing and getting rid of as much training as possible. Things like that have to be addressed pretty rapidly.”

Rugby players with MND diagnosis

Burrow was sadly not the first rugby player to have died of MND. On November 26, 2022, former Scottish international lock Doddie Weir who became a significant advocate for MND research through his foundation, also died from this condition. The disease has also impacted former Gloucester and Leicester Tigers lock Ed Slater, who announced his retirement from the sport following his diagnosis in July 2022.

What are MND symptoms?

According to the NHS, motor neurone disease (MND) is an uncommon condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time. Sadly, there's no cure for MND, but there are treatments to help reduce the impact it has on a person's daily life. Some people live with the condition for many years. MND can significantly shorten life expectancy and, unfortunately, eventually leads to death. Symptoms of motor neurone disease happen gradually and may not be obvious at first. Early symptoms can include weakness in your ankle or leg – you might trip, or find it harder to climb stairs, slurred speech, which may develop into difficulty swallowing some foods, a weak grip, muscle cramps and twitches, weight loss (your arms or leg muscles may have become thinner over time) and difficulty stopping yourself from crying or laughing in inappropriate situations.