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Rugby places high physical demands on athletes and players often sustain injuries while taking part in this sport.
In particular, injuries that involve the thighs and calves account for approximately 40% of all rugby injuries. Other common injuries are ankle sprains, knee medial ligament sprains, acromio-clavicular sprains (tip of shoulder), and hamstring strains.
Injuries mostly occur during the second half of a match when rugby players are tired.
Osteopathy offers a combination of preventative biomechanical analysis and therapy for rugby players.
Through specific diagnosis and treatment, it improves the rehabilitation of typical rugby injuries and helps prevent small discomforts from turning into severe injury.
By improving the musculoskeletal structure of the athlete’s body, osteopathy can enhance his performance and keep his body functioning at an optimal level.
Potential injuries or problems can also be identified by an osteopathic evaluation prior to playing rugby, thereby minimising the possibility of sustaining this type of injury through treatment and advice.
Types of rugby injuries
Intrinsic injuries result from repetitive overuse of the body. This is more prevalent in players with structural imbalances and restrictions.
Intrinsic injuries in rugby players are common, especially muscle and joint injuries. Training is a factor when, for example, an athlete is doing more running than his legs are actually ready for. This will result in overtraining, which is associated with a high rate of leg injuries during the playing season, resulting in a long lay-offs.
More position-specific running drills, in conjunction with resistance training, will reduce the probability of injury, especially in those players with biomechanical imbalances.
Intrinsic injuries include:
- A torn hamstring or calf muscle during maximal sprints for the try line.
- Increased emphasis on fitness training and a faster match tempo has lead to an increase in the number of muscle and tendon injuries.
- Reduced stride length when sprinting along the wing, particularly at the end of the match, may be related to hamstring shortness due to sitting at a desk or in a vehicle during your working day (injury may be avoided with the appropriate stretching regime).
- Back and neck pain is more prevalent in forwards than in backs due to the increase load on the spine (instead of slumping in the changing room after a hard game, sit with lumbar spine in extension to help avoid lower back pain disc problems. In fact, adhering to good dynamic posture at all times, but particularly during training, is a good preventative measure).
- Joint pain and stiffness.
- Muscle ache, pain, spasm, cramp or stiffness.
- Front thigh (quadriceps) and calf muscles absorb the shock of landing after a lineout and the Achilles tendon is liable to tear, especially in older players.
An extrinsic sports injury occurs when an external force is applied directly to the body, such as forceful contact or collision with other players or the pitch.
Examples of extrinsic injuries:
- The front thigh muscles (quadriceps) are particularly liable to direct trauma when hit by an opposing rugby player’s shoulder during a heavy tackle.
- Ligament injuries to the knee, ankle, shoulder and neck may occur with sudden change of direction, as in sidestepping or when tackled simultaneously by multiple rugby players. Tackling or being tackled is the cause of half of all injuries during match play.
- Players on the receiving end of the tackle can sustain fractures of the lower limb, knee cartilage tears and ligament damage, whereas shoulder dislocations, strains, and sprains may arise in players who are doing the tackling.
- Falling on the tip of the shoulder can damage the acromioclavicular joint or fracture the clavicle. Shoulder dislocation may be caused by diving with the arms outstretched to touch down.
If you're a dedicated rugby player, you've probably experienced a frustrating lay-off due to one or more common injuries. Many of these are preventable given the correct stretching and muscle-balancing exercises. – (Dr Guy Ashburner, Health24, updated August 2011)
Dr Guy Ashburner (BSc(Hons)Ost(U.K), D.P.O.), an osteopathic consultant, is sympathetic and motivated towards the rugby player's need to commence a speedy recovery of the body and return to their sporting endeavours. He is a member of The Osteopathic Sports Care Association and previously worked as a qualified personal trainer in west London, UK.
Contact details:
Dr Guy Ashburner BSc(Hons) Ost(U.K), D.P.O.
Osteopathic Consultant
To find out more, visit www.osteogoodhealth.com or call 0741 184 184
Available at ‘Steps To Health Pharmacy & Health Shop’
Cnr. Boundary & Kendal Roads, Constantia / Diep River
