Rugby is a field-based contact sport which has increasing participation rates in over 100 countries worldwide. At various levels of competition, there can be around 7-15 players on two opposing sides, depending on the league and country.
A high level of physical contact is involved between competing teams in an attempt to either score or regain possession of the ball and prevent it from advancing towards the other team’s goal line; this could entail high-intensity running, sharp changes in direction or multiple collisions with opponents.
The combative nature of the sport makes it necessary to identify the mechanics responsible for common rugby injuries of the lower extremity and to develop effective injury-prevention programmes accordingly.
An injury surveillance of the Welsh National Team was conducted to assess the incidence, severity, nature and causes of match and training injuries sustained during different international tournaments over a period of three years.
Offer your Patients a Custom Calibrated Insole with a 98% Patient Satisfaction Rate know more
The primary definition of injury used in this study was, “Any physical complaint sustained by a player during an international match or training session that prevented the player from taking a full part in all training activities or match play for more than 1 day following the day of injury, irrespective of whether match or training sessions were actually scheduled”.
Muscle and tendon injuries were found to have the highest incidence during matches, followed by joint and ligament injuries; the severity of joint, ligament, muscle, and tendon injuries was observed to be at its peak during autumn tournaments.
The authors advocate a better understanding of the physical demands of match play to prevent contact injuries especially within tackles; a video analysis of such tackle events should be useful in directing improvements in technique or rule amendments to aid injury prevention.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries contributed to the greatest time lost for the forward positions in 5 Australian Super Rugby teams during the 2014 Super Rugby Union tournament; this was attributed to the severity of ACL injuries rather than the injury count.
Injuries to the lower extremity were determined to be significantly higher during the tournament, largely because of the high rate of knee and thigh injuries. Other severe match-play injuries included ankle, tibia and fibula injuries which occurred either while being tackled, tackling or collision.
The role of fatigue in contributing to the development of injuries is evident from the fact that the highest injury incidence occurred in the second half of English community rugby matches; there is a hindrance in the activation of lower limb muscles in stabilising the joint as a response to destabilising events during fatigue.
Preventative and rehabilitative strategies can only be successful if they’re employed in conjunction with regulated safety measures, improved coaching standards and revision of rules especially with regard to tackles and collisions.
As described by Hislop et al., injury may be the result of tissues being acutely exposed to a force in excess of its normal tolerance or a repetitive exposure to forces that result in submaximal load becoming injurious.
For this purpose, the authors recommend exercise training interventions to reduce harmful tissue loading patterns by decreasing the external forces acting through a tissue, altering posture and kinematics, and enhancing a specific tissue’s ability to withstand load.
The inclusion of MASS4D® foot orthotics in such an exercise intervention can help in addressing any underlying biomechanical discrepancies to prevent mechanical stresses on the lower limbs and to minimise postural misalignment caused as a result of aberrant foot kinematics.
By correcting foot postural disparities, MASS4D® enhances the player’s ability to reach peak performance while reducing their predisposition to injuries of the lower extremity during the game.
Copyright 2017 MASS4D® All rights reserved.
Offer your Patients a Custom Calibrated Insole with a 98% Patient Satisfaction Rate know more
How Your Orthotic Helps Maintain Ankle Range of Motion
Rehabilitation as an Integrated Approach
Visual Postural Change Should Not Be Ignored
References:
Rehabilitation of Your Foot and Lower Back Conditions.
Long Lasting Wear
Strong Foot Support
Easy to use
Handmade MASS4D® Quality
FREE EXERCISES
Sign up for free recommended foot exercises, stretching, medical news and everything good for your feet
Please have a a look at our medical reviews and clinical articles on everything about lower biomechanics.
You should always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding personal health or medical conditions.
The content, products and services offered herein, are here to educate consumers on healthcare and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Nothing in the content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This site and its services do not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other professional healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment.
The marks "MASS4D" and the MASS4D logo are trademarks. The content and design of MASS4D.com is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. You may not copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, display, transmit or frame any of these materials without prior written consent from MASS4D®.
Medical Disclaimer
The content, products or services on this site should not be considered or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and is not intended to provide individual medical advice. Included materials and conversations do not imply a personalised doctor-patient relationship.
Copyright and Intellectual property
MASS4D® is owned and operated by Scheibye General Trading LLC - Licence no: 853463
MASS4D® and Logo are registered trademarks of MASS4D Inc. All content, trademarks, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of MASS4D® Inc.