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Rugby is a great game but we all know it can take its toll on the body. Recent research suggests that centres are the most injured ( not such girlie back pretty boys after all!) due to the high rate of tackling and speed of impact. Injuries mostly occur during the second half of a match when rugby players are tired.
The good news is that, osteopathy can help you get over most of the above injuries and return to the game quicker. Osteopathy can also help you to reduce the risk of injury in the first place.
Training for the game is vital in the prevention of injuries. Improved technique will help to reduce the possibility of injuries and increased strength and coordination will help as we have more muscle bulk to protect ourselves and our joints. Pre-match warming up is important to prevent muscle strains and sprains, starting gently and gradually increasing the intensity.
How can a visit to an osteopathic practitioner reduce the risk of further injury? During a consultation an osteopathic practitioner will perform a full postural and musculoskeletal assessment to find areas of restriction in muscles, ligaments and joints. Using osteopathic techniques such as massage and manipulation the health and mobility of these tissues can be improved. Osteopathy can also benefit old injuries by improving the function of damaged tissues.
After sustaining an injury osteopathy can help restore the function of damaged tissues. An osteopathic practitioner will also be able to give specific advice on exercises for rehabilitation of an injured tissue.
Some of the injuries below are specific to different positions others affect us al
Head
The most common form of head injuries are lacerations and cuts from clashes of heads or loose boots. Due to the impact of tackling concussions can be common and these need to be rested for usually 3 weeks. A large number of us will sustain fractured noses over the course of playing either from a flying fist or boot.
Neck
Neck injuries are commonly sustained in front row players due to the forces exerted from scrummaging when the scrum collapses. They can vary from slight neck ache or twisted neck to the worst cervical fractures. Thankfully serious fractures that lead to paralysis are rare but are devastating for the unlucky few who sustain them. Compression fractures to the vertebral body will usually be treated with a collar for 6 – 8 weeks but more serious fractures may require surgical repair and prolonged support.
Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries are commonly sustained in rugby players either in a contact situation with another player or from falls onto the shoulder or onto an outstretched arm. The acromio-clavicular joint where the collar bone attaches to the shoulder complex can be injured in the tackle or by impact with the ground and the ligaments that hold this joint together can be strained (grade 1) or completely ruptured (grade 3). The rotator cuff a group of 4 muscles that surround the shoulder and aid in raising the arm can be injured in a number of ways. Rotator cuff injuries can occur in training in the gym when too heavy weights are lifted and the muscle is either strained or torn. If the joint has been previously injured there can sometimes be instability in the joint and this can cause some impingement and irritation to the surrounding tissues, usually this is seen in hookers as it can be associated with throwing the ball in at the line out. In a heavy tackle or fall the shoulder joint can be subluxed or dislocated as the head of the humerus separates from the shoulder joint usually in an anterior direction. There will be immediate pain and discomfort and medical treatment should be sought immediately to relocate it. If this injury is repeated which it often is, a player can sometimes relocate the shoulder themselves due to ligamentous laxity.
Low Back
These are commonly sustained in the forwards whilst scrummaging. Attempts to raise the height of the scrum have helped to reduce this type of injury but overstrain and disc injuries such as prolapses still occur to the lumbar spine. Also individual joints can be damaged in heavy tackles or impacts as the facet joints between the vertebrae are forced together. Sometimes these injuries will not manifest themselves until many years later and a number of retired players will develop early arthritic change in the joints in their spines or degenerative disc disease.
Leg and ankle injuries
injuries that involve the thighs and calves account for approximately 40% of all rugby injuries. Hamstring and quadriceps muscles can be strained or torn when these muscles are overstretched and are usually felt as the player accelerates. Quadricep muscles can often be overstrained when kicking the ball.
Knees are commonly injured in tackles where the boot remains fixed in the ground and the upper body rotates on the fixed knee. Injuries to the internal supporting cruciate ligaments or collateral ligaments can range from mild strains to complete ruptures.
Ankles are regularly strained and it is usually the lateral collateral ligaments that are injured when the ankle is twisted.
See also : Rugby injury statistics; acromio-clavicular joint
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