Top Tips for Injury Prevention – From England and Leicester Tigers rugby ace Lewis Moody and top Vulkan physio Martin Haines

A recent study from the University of Leicester has revealed that on average a staggering 18% of club rugby players will be unavailable for selection due to match injuries and a further 5% due to training injuries.

Thigh haematomas are the most common injury for forwards and backs, but anterior cruciate ligament injuries for forwards and hamstring injuries for backs caused the greatest number of injury days.

Contact tackles account for 72% of injuries, but perhaps surprisingly only 6% of injuries are due to foul play.

England and Leicester Tigers star, Lewis Moody, was a recent casualty of injury and has battled a calf muscle tear in a bid to be fit for the World Cup.

Moody, 29, an ambassador for leading sports supports supplier Vulkan, says he takes precautions to avoid injuries wherever possible but knows that in a tough contact sport such as rugby, injuries are inevitable.

He says: “Even the slightest knock can have a huge impact on performance, but in a forceful game like rugby you know the risks. Like all professionals, I want to get back to match fitness as quickly as possible and I know that by wearing Vulkan supports as part of my rehabilitation, I am getting the best support available to protect an injury or prevent a new one occurring.”

Vulkan’s consultant physio, Martin Haines, says: “Rugby has an injury rate of about one in every 50 hours of individual participation. But measures can be taken to reduce the risk of injury such as ensuring a thorough pre-match warm up session and wearing appropriate supports – particularly if you have a history of injuries.”
While the hooker and outside centre are in the positions at greatest risk of injury, Martin says it is crucial that all players protect their muscles and joints with specialist sports supports and comprehensive warm up sessions.

He says: “A warm up for rugby needs to concentrate on the major joints such as the hips, knees, shoulders and ankles. To start, players should begin with a range of joint rotations to ease the body, followed with an intensive jog with intermittent twists, turns, skipping and jumping.

“After five minutes, players need to concentrate on slow static stretches of the legs, back and arms. Finally a course of high impact aerobic activity will increase the heart rate. This should include jogging and sprinting with specific moves such as jumping, catching, turning and ball work.”

Specialised supports can play a major part in both speeding up the recovery process of an injury, but also preventing one from occurring in the first place.

Martin explains: “High quality sports supports such as the Vulkan range can play a vital role in protecting muscles and joints from the knocks and tackles of a close contact sport.

“They can shield players from the twists and turns of play and can also keep the covered area warm and supple without restricting movement.

“It is also important to remember that prevention is better than cure, and so it is far wiser for an athlete to wear a support as a precaution if they have a weakness, than to wait for the worst to happen.”

Vulkan sports supports are medically approved and are the products of choice for many professionals including the RFU. They are designed to cover every muscle and joint of the body and are made using only the highest grade of materials.

For more information, visit www.vulkansupports.co.uk or call 0161 678 0233.

ENDS