help with injury from rugby

rugbmom

hello- i am new to this sport and to tell you the truth i find it so very confusing. but that's not my problem-- you see my daughter has joined her high school team and they have been practicing everyday for the past 4 weeks. on friday they went and played on "real" rugby fields since then she has had terrible pain in her whole ankle area. at first i thought it was shin splints but its a little to low for that. could it be the cleats being steel, and her feet being anchored to the ground in weird ways has just pulled the muscles in her ankles? i should mention she also swims 4 times a week and has never experienced this type of pain before. all she talks about now is rugby-- i think its good for her, gets her out of that girlie zone but she is still afraid of getting hurt

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any info would be very appreciated.

Linford

Very easy to go over on your ankle when you play rugby, one of the more common injuries for occassional players and players who play tag rugby (non contact)

Amz

I'd suggest if you're really concerned about it, maybe bring her to a physiotherapist. Otherwise just see how it feels after a few more sessions, maybe they're not warming up their ankles properly? As Linford said it's very easy to go over on your ankle in rugby.

We do at least 4 stretches and warm up excercises on our ankle/ankle area before we train and so far (touch wood) nobody has injured their ankle and the season is over bar our tour at the end of the month.

If the ground is very hard and she has steel studs, maybe pick up some plastic/rubber studs and change them. Otherwise leave the steel ones in as they're much better/safer in soft ground.

Eoin

Physio is the way to go - could be a number of things, any of which you shouldn't try and diagnose online!

I spoke to a physio who deals with a lot of rugby players, and he maintains that he has seen more soft tissue injuries in the ankles, knees (and possibly hamstrings) caused by the boots with the "blade" plastic studs. My personal preference is for the standard metal ones, unless the ground is absolutely rock solid.

As Amz alluded to, regular stretching before and after rugby is a must.

Sangre

Are cleats different to studs?
If the ground is in any way soft the studs should be non-sharpened metal. For harder ground they're still okay but rubber/plastic ones are probably better.

By a 'real' rugby pitch do you mean a grass one? Maybe its a badly maintained pitch and is quite lumpy/uneven?

Also, if she is a forward she would do well to get a pair of proper rugby boots. These are ankle high boots that give increased protection/support to the ankles.

PeteJones

I play rugby as well as tag rugby and about twice a year I get pain in my ankles for about a week. This is very common for rugby players and there is a combination of things that can led to this.

I found that if the studs on your shoes are too long (usually forwards wear them for better grip) then it can be hard on your ankles. If the studs are too short then you can slip easily and twist your ankle muscles as well. Therefore you need to find the right combination inbetween. I bought about 3 pairs of shoes before I found the right one.

When my ankles are in pain I usually try not to overdo it and wear an ankle guard(?). Physio might help to some extent but I always found that it hurts more.

You might also try to get a type of ankle guard that she can play with for support or just wrap the ankles up with bandages before putting on the socks and shoes.

rugbmom

Thanks so much for all your replies. Yes she is a forward-- her teacher showed her some good stretches today, and her ankles do not hurt as bad today as yesterday. Does anyone else have any good stretches for feet out there. and yes we got her proper rugby shoes from a real rugby store.:)

Sundy

It might just take a while for her to adjust to the physical nature of rugby, the reality is pain is part and parcel of rugby. A good warm up and stretching routine should minimise injury. Anyway fair play to her for playing, its the greatest sport on earth!