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Rugby arm and hand injuries

More than 10% of all rugby injuries involve the arms and hands.

Upper arm injuries include contusions (bruising) of the biceps or triceps, where repetitive injury of this nature at the same site can lead to certain complications . These include myositis ossificans, where the intramuscular bruising can harden and actually form small shards of bone-like matter that may need to be removed surgically.

Rupture of the bicep muscle may also happen, which is either a partial or full tear of the muscle.

The elbow is prone to contusions of the elbow joint, bursitis of the elbow, strains and sprains, dislocation and fractures.

Injuries to the wrist include sprains and strains of the wrist, nerve compression within the wrist, dislocation and fractures.

Fractures of the finger are particularly common – especially in locks. This injury occurs when one of the bones of the finger is fractured due to an external crushing, twisting force or direct trauma.

Thumb function constitutes about 50% of the function of the hand. Falling on an outstretched hand may result in sprains or fractures of the thumb.

Symptoms and signs include pain when the thumb is bent backwards, pain in the web of the thumb when moved and difficulty in pinching or grip small objects. A fracture at the base of a thumb is the commonest fracture to involve the thumb and it’s important to treat this properly. Failure to do so, can result in difficulty gripping objects from then on.

Participation is usually not affected too seriously. Usually a splint is applied to provide protection and immobilisation. In certain instances surgery may be required.

(Health24, September 2011)

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