Pectoralis major tendon ruptures: when to operate.
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The treatment of pectoralis major tendon ruptures has been the subject of much debate. The classical history of the injury is forced abduction and external rotation. The cases of two patients (an amateur rugby union player and a recreational snowboarder) are reported. The diagnosis was made by clinical examination in both patients, and both were operated on more than two weeks after injury. After surgery and a graduated rehabilitation programme, both men were able to return to their sporting activities. These two cases highlight the advantage of operative management in this uncommon condition. (+info)
An ecologic study of protective equipment and injury in two contact sports.
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BACKGROUND: Contact sports have high rates of injury. Protective equipment regulations are widely used as an intervention to reduce injury risk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the injury prevention effect of regulations governing protective equipment in two full-body contact sports. METHODS: Injury rates in US collegiate football were compared to New Zealand club Rugby Union. Both sports involve significant body contact and have a high incidence of injury. Extensive body padding and hard-shell helmets are mandated in collegiate football but prohibited in Rugby Union. RESULTS: The injury rate in football was approximately one-third the rugby rate (rate ratio [RR] = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.31-0.40). The head was the body site with the greatest differential in injury incidence (RR = 0.11; 95% CI: 0.08-0.16). Rugby players suffered numerous lacerations, abrasions, and contusions to the head region, but the incidence of these injuries in football was almost zero (RR = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.01-0.03). Injury rates were more similar for the knee (RR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43-0.87) and ankle (RR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.46-1.13), two joints largely unprotected in both sports. CONCLUSIONS: The observed differences are consistent with the hypothesis that regulations mandating protective equipment reduce the incidence of injury, although important potential biases in exposure assessment cannot be excluded. Further research is needed into head protection for rugby players. (+info)
Footballer's ankle: a case report.
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Footballer 's ankle is anterior bony spur or anterior impingement symptom of the ankle with anterior ankle pain, limited and painful dorsiflexion. The cause is commonly seen in athletes and dancers, and is probably due to repetitive minor trauma. The condition was firstly described by Morris; McMurray reported good results from excision of the spurs, naming it footballer' s ankle. Opening resection of osteophytes of the anterior tibial and superior talar is an effective treatment for anterior impingement of the ankle. (+info)
A prospective study of injuries to elite Australian rugby union players.
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OBJECTIVES: To assess injury patterns and incidence in the Australian Wallabies rugby union players from 1994 to 2000. To compare these patterns and rates with those seen at other levels of play, and to see how they have changed since the beginning of the professional era. METHODS: Prospective data were recorded from 1994 to 2000. All injuries to Australian Wallabies rugby union players were recorded by the team doctor. An injury was defined as one that forced a player to either leave the field or miss a subsequent game. RESULTS: A total of 143 injuries were recorded from 91 matches. The overall injury rate was 69/1000 player hours of game play. The injury rates in the periods before (1994-1995) and after (1996-2000) the start of the professional era were 47/1000 player hours and 74/1000 player hours respectively. The lock was the most injured forward, and the number 10 the most injured back. Most injuries were soft tissue, closed injuries (55%), with the head being the most commonly injured region (25.1%). The phase of play responsible for most injuries was the tackle (58.7%). Injuries were more likely to occur in the second half of the game, specifically the third quarter (40%). The vast majority of injuries were acute (90%), with the remainder being either chronic or recurrent. CONCLUSIONS: Injury rate increases at higher levels of play in rugby union. Injury rates have increased in the professional era. Most injuries are now seen in the third quarter of the game, a finding that may reflect new substitution laws. There is a need for standardised collection of injury data in rugby union. (+info)
Physiological characteristics of junior and senior rugby league players.
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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the physiological characteristics of subelite junior and senior rugby league players and establish performance standards for these athletes. METHODS: A total of 159 junior (under 16, 15, 14, and 13, n = 88) and senior (first grade, second grade, and under 19, n = 71) rugby league players (forwards, n = 80, backs, n = 79), competing at a subelite level, underwent measurements of body mass, muscular power (vertical jump), speed (10 m, 20 m, and 40 m sprint), agility (Illinois agility run), and estimated maximal aerobic power (multistage fitness test). Data were also collected on match and training frequency and playing experience. RESULTS: There was a significant effect (p<0.05) of age and playing level on playing experience, body mass, muscular power, speed, agility, and estimated maximal aerobic power, with the physiological capacities of players increasing as the playing level increased. Forwards were heavier than backs for all junior and senior teams. Forwards and backs had similar estimated maximal aerobic power, except for under 16 players, for whom significant (p<0.05) differences were detected (mean (95% confidence intervals) 42.9 (40.1 to 45.7) v 49.5 (46.4 to 52.6) ml/kg/min for forwards and backs respectively). Scores for speed, muscular power, and agility were not significantly different between forwards and backs for any of the junior or senior teams. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that there is a progressive improvement in the physiological capacities of rugby league players as the playing level increases. These findings provide normative data and performance standards for subelite junior and senior rugby league players. Further studies on the sociological, physical, psychological, and personal predictors of talent in rugby league are warranted. (+info)
Laparoscopic treatment of an isolated gallbladder rupture following blunt abdominal trauma in a schoolboy rugby player.
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Laparoscopic treatment of an isolated gallbladder rupture in a schoolboy rugby player resulting from blunt abdominal trauma has not previously been reported. A case report of this rare occurrence is presented together with a brief review of the literature. (+info)
Echocardiographic characteristics of professional football players.
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OBJECTIVES: We examined the echocardiographic characteristics of highly trained American football players. BACKGROUND: Intense physical training is associated with morphologic and physiologic cardiac changes often referred to as the "athlete's heart." Echocardiographic features peculiar to elite football players have not been described. METHODS: We studied cardiac morphology and function as assessed by rest and stress echocardiography in 156 asymptomatic National Football League players. Resting and stress ejection fraction (EF), wall thickness, and diastolic left ventricular internal diameter (LVID) were measured. Left ventricular (LV) mass was calculated, as was relative wall thickness (RWT) defined as septal and posterior wall thickness divided by LVID. Control data were obtained from published studies. RESULTS: The mean LVID (53 +/- 0.5 mm) and maximal wall thickness (11.2 +/- 0.2 mm) were increased over normal reported control subjects. There was a correlation between LVID and body weight (p = 0.01) and body surface area (BSA) (p = 0.01). The average LVID indexed to BSA was 23 +/- 2 mm/M(2). There was also a correlation between maximal wall thickness and body weight (p = 0.01) and BSA (p = 0.01). The average wall thickness indexed to BSA was 5.05 +/- 0.88 mm/M(2). Of the players, 23% had evidence of LV hypertrophy. Two players had an increased septal-to-posterior-wall-thickness ratio (> or =1.3), although no player had an outflow gradient. The RWT for the players was 0.424 (+/- 0.1). The mean resting EF was 58% (+/- 4.4%), and every player undergoing exercise testing had an appropriate hyperdynamic response in cardiac function. CONCLUSIONS: Both wall thickness and LVID of elite American football players are increased and correlate with body size. There is a high RWT, reflecting an emphasis on strength training. The LV EF was normal and not supranormal, as is sometimes believed. Regardless of the resting EF, all players had hyperdynamic cardiac responses with exercise. (+info)
Incidence of injury in semi-professional rugby league players.
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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the site, nature, cause, and severity of injuries in semi-professional rugby league players. METHODS: The incidence of injury was prospectively studied in one hundred and fifty six semi-professional rugby league players over two competitive seasons. All injuries sustained during matches and training sessions were recorded. Injury data were collected from a total of 137 matches and 148 training sessions. Information recorded included the date and time of injury, site, nature, cause, and severity of injury. RESULTS: During the two seasons, 1,694 playing injuries and 559 training injuries were sustained. The match injury incidence was 824.7 per 1,000 player-position game hours and training injury incidence was 45.3 per 1,000 training hours. Over 20% of the total training (17.4 per 1,000) and playing (168.0 per 1,000) injuries sustained were to the thigh and calf. Muscular injuries (haematomas and strains) were the most common type of injury sustained during training (22.0 per 1,000, 48.7%) and matches (271.7 per 1,000, 32.9%). Playing injuries were most commonly sustained in tackles (382.2 per 1,000, 46.3%), while overexertion was the most common cause of training injuries (15.5 per 1,000, 34.4%). The majority of playing injuries were sustained in the first half of matches (1,013.6 per 1,000, 61.5% v 635.8 per 1,000, 38.5%), whereas training injuries occurred more frequently in the latter stages of the training session (50.0 per 1,000, 55.3% v 40.5 per 1,000, 44.7%). Significantly more training injuries were sustained in the early half of the season, however, playing injuries occurred more frequently in the latter stages of the season. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that changes in training and playing intensity impact significantly upon injury rates in semi-professional rugby league players. Further studies investigating the influence of training and playing intensity on injuries in rugby league are warranted. (+info)