RUGBY AND CHIROPRACTIC
- Dr. Keegan Hughes
- Sep 23, 2019
- 2 min read
The relationship between Rugby and Chiropractic
As the Rugby World Cup is upon us, we thought it best to start us off with the relationship between Rugby and Chiropractic and how sportsmen benefit from chiropractic care daily. In my experience as a coach and a player, at both school and club level, Rugby is an extremely physical sport. I will be the first to tell you that injuries are as common as rucks in Rugby. In fact, studies at the University of Bath have shown that for every 1000 hours of international rugby, there are 81 injuries.
So, why so many injuries? Well, on average, each player performs 20- 40 tackles per match. The average force through the shoulder during each tackle can be up to 204kg (1997N) which causes high levels of stress on joints, ligaments and muscles throughout the body. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that 57% of all rugby related injuries occur during a match and half of these, during collisions between players.
So, what can Chiropractic do? I have fortunately had the opportunity to work alongside several rugby teams, ensuring that players are at their peak when they take the field. To ensure that you are at your physical best, your Chiropractor will assess your joint movement and your muscle strength and determine whether you are well conditioned for contact. They may also identify areas that could possibly lead to an injury if not managed correctly. They will then help manage any complications that require attention by correcting joint misalignments and strengthening muscles that are weak or strained, all the while working with you to ensure your body is functioning at its best, allowing you to thrive on and off the field.
Other ways to minimize the risk of injury are to maintain a high level of fitness and conditioning, always practice good tackling technique with both shoulders and wear protective gear such as gum guards, scrum caps and shoulder pads.
We hope you will all be supporting our boys in the green & gold this Rugby World Cup. Bring it home, Bokke!
Cheers,
Team Hughes Chiropractic
(Blog post is written from a combination of my experiences and the various research I have read over time, hence collective knowledge with no specific reference to particular articles).
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