Rugby Injuries Sustained During Tournament Play

Abstract
Rugby football is a fast growing physical contact sport that is known for its ruggedness and injuries. Tournament play tests the stamina of the individual players and may have a cumulative wear and tear effect that results in different types of injuries. This study was conducted to determine what body parts are injured in a rugby tournament and how serious those injuries are. Climatic conditions, mainly heat and humidity, were considered to be major factors. Heat-related injuries were the single most important cause for termination of play. This type of injury is very serious and may be reduced or prevented by following simple guidelines for play based on the temperature-humidity index. Most other injuries were strains, sprains, contusions, and several lacerations to the knee, thorax, head, and neck; none was catastrophic. The reputation that rugby football is brutal does not seem justified by the injuries sustained in this tournament. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1985;7(1):16-19.

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