In this article, we will look at some of the most common rugby injuries and provide hacks for rehabilitation.
Here at Rugby Hackers we believe it is important to be educated about the risks your child may face, but do remember that proper training and monitoring help to reduce the risk of injury and speed up the recovery process.
Bruises:
A bruise is caused when small blood vessels (capillaries) under the skin burst and release blood into the tissue around them.
Your child can easily get bruises in rugby in a variety of ways such as tackling and collision, Ruck and Mauls, or contact with equipment such as corner flags.
Your child can show the signs & symptoms of bruises as:
Discoloration: Bruises commonly manifest as patches of skin that are discoloured, frequently in blue, purple, or black tones. As the body reabsorbs the lost blood, the colouring evolves.
Black eyes: When blood vessels in the area of the eyes rupture from trauma or impact, black eyes result. This may result in a collection of blood, which would provide recognisable swelling and colouring. Black eyes are not normally a big worry unless they are accompanied by more serious symptoms or injuries
Tenderness: The bruised region is often sensitive to touch and might be uncomfortable or sore.
Swelling: The body’s inflammatory response to a contusion might result in swelling surrounding the damaged region.
Warmth: Due to increased blood flow and inflammation, the bruised region may feel warm to the touch.
Management:
Bruises are often not serious and may be treated at home by yourself with basic self-care techniques such as Rest, applying Ice, or making your child wear Compression bands. Make sure to clean the wound of your child with antiseptic ointment.
Cuts and abrasions:
Your child may get cuts or abrasions. Cuts also known as Laceration is an open wound in which the skin has been broken or split. They might be different sizes and depths, and they can result in bleed.
Whereas Abrasions or Scrapes are minor wounds when the epidermis, or top layer of the skin, is scraped away, leaving a raw or grazed area.
They might not always bleed, but they can still hurt and, if not cleaned correctly, they could get germs and can be infected.
Management:
Therefore, always clean the wound of your child even if it is small. If there is any bleeding then apply gentle pressure. Always dress the wound. If any cut is large or deep, seek medical treatment.
Sprains and strains:
These commonly occur when your child overstretched or twists their muscles due to rapid changes in direction or speed. therefore, in rugby games your child may commonly get ankle sprains and hamstrings strain.
The hamstrings are a group of muscles located at the back of the thigh, and they play a vital role in activities like running, jumping, and changing direction.
The combination of explosive movements, quick changes in pace, and physical contact in rugby can put significant stress on the hamstring muscles, making them susceptible to strains.
Sprains commonly occur and damage the finger, knee, and ankle joints.
Management:
You can manage sprains and strains in your child with RICE therapy:
Rest: Your child must rest and avoid any kind of exertion
Ice: You must apply icing to your child for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours wherever there is an injury
Compressions: To support the injury, you must apply compressions by applying a bandage to your child
Elevations: You must keep the injured area of your child raised.
For more details Sprains and strains – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Concussion:
In recent years, there is been a lot of media coverage about the long-term impacts of concussion on rugby players, mainly due to poor management of concussion when it occurred.
Thankfully, the sport has been evolving to both reduce the risk of concussion in the first place and also to safely manage the recovery period when it does occur.
It is important to understand how to recognise and manage concussion to limit the risk of any long-term damage should your child get a knock to the head.
A concussion can be defined as shaking of the brain. During the game, most of the players tackle or scrum due to which there is a collision, which causes the brain to be shaken.
This type of injury can be mild to severe. Therefore, if you observe the following sign or symptoms in your child, you must seek immediate medical management.
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- Headache or pressure in the head
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- Dizziness or balance problems
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- Sensitivity to light or noise
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- Slurred speech
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- Fatigue or drowsiness
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- Loss of consciousness
Management:
Therefore, if your child is thought to be suffering from a concussion, the coach or referee should take out your child from the game right once and should not be let to return to the game until a medical expert with training in concussion management has examined them.
Before returning to rugby activities, the player should fully recover through rest and a progressive return-to-play protocol.
Detailed Discussion is given in the article, Concussion.
Dental injuries:
While playing rugby there are collisions, tackles, and scrums that may cause a variety of injuries, including those to the mouth and teeth.
Several typical dental injuries such as cuts or bruises to the face or lips, tooth concussions or fractures, loosening of the tooth or avulsed tooth, and rarely jaw fractures may be faced by your child.
But these injuries can be prevented or if occurred can be managed.
Further details are given in the article on Tooth and mouth injuries – do you know what to do?.
Fracture:
It is a rare injury, but It occurs in your child. It can be defined as the crack or breakage of bone.
Bone fractures can occur during tackles, when your child clashes with other players, or when they fall to the ground.
Fractures of the clavicle (collarbone), fingers, hands, wrists, ribs, and facial bones are fractured in rugby.
Lower extremity fractures, such as those to the tibia and fibula (lower leg bones), can also happen, particularly after hard tackles or awkward landings.
The symptoms of fracture in your child may be:
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- Pain, Swelling and Bruising
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- Limited Range of Motion
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- Deformity
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- Crepitus (Sensation of grating or crackling)
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- Inability to bear weight
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- Numbness or tingling of the affected area
Management:
If your child gets fractures then the referee must ask to get help immediately and seek medical treatment immediately.
Stabilising the injured player, preventing excessive movement.
Administering painkillers is also part of immediate treatment.
To confirm the diagnosis and identify the degree of the fracture, X-rays or other imaging procedures are frequently required.
Casting, splinting, or in certain situations, surgical intervention, are all possible forms of treatment.
For Immediate Treatment call 999 for ambulance.
