Cold-based therapies are commonly applied to alleviate pain symptoms secondary to inflammatory diseases, but also to treat injuries or overuse, as done in sports rehabilitation. Whole body cryotherapy, a relatively new form of cold therapy, consists of short whole-body exposure to extremely cold air (-110°C to -140°C). Cryostimulation is gaining wider acceptance as an effective part of physical...

OBJECTIVES To compare the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of specific playing positions and positional playing groups in junior rugby league players. METHODS Two hundred and forty junior rugby league players underwent measurements of standard anthropometry (body mass, height, sum of four skinfolds), muscular power (vertical jump), speed (10, 20, and 40 m sprint), agility (L r...

INTRODUCTION Rugby is the third most popular team contact sport in the world and is increasing in popularity. In 1995, rugby in Europe turned professional, and with this has come an increased rate of injury. CASE PRESENTATION In a six-month period from July to December, two open reduction and internal fixations of acetabular fractures were performed in young Caucasian men (16 and 24 years old...

OBJECTIVE To conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if injuries sustained while playing professional rugby league have long term consequences for players after retirement from their playing careers. METHOD Twenty eight retired players, who had competed in the professional Australian Rugby League competition, responded to a 23 item survey. Respondents were asked to recall all injurie...

UNLABELLED Rugby preseason training involves high-volume strength and conditioning training, necessitating effective management of the recovery-stress state to avoid overtraining and maximize adaptive gains. PURPOSE Compression garments and an electrostimulation device have been proposed to improve recovery by increasing venous blood flow. These devices were assessed using salivary testostero...

The different player positions in rugby union may place varying demands on a reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in regards to 'cutting manoeuvres', this in turn may effect performance. In order to investigate sporting performance post reconstruction, a questionnaire was sent to amateur rugby clubs affiliated to the Oxfordshire Rugby Football Union (R.F.U). From the returned question...

OBJECTIVE To provide the basis for collecting rugby union injury data using a rigorously validated injury report form. METHODS Seven stages were used to assess face, content, and criterion validity of the rugby union injury report form. A 22 member panel plus four sporting bodies assessed the form for face validity, and an expert panel assessed it for content and criterion validity. Panel mem...

OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN To address an apparent increase in the number of rugby-related spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in South Africa, a retrospective case-series study was conducted on injuries that occurred between 1980 and 2007. We aimed to identify preventable causes to reduce the overall rate of SCIs in South African rugby. METHODS We identified 264 rugby-related SCIs. A structured questionna...

This article tries to disaggregate the changes in South Africa’s rugby ideology during and after the Rugby World Cup tournament of 1995. The nature of support for the victorious Springbok team which in a rare historical moment seemed to transcend race, is explained in the light of contextual influences. Likewise, the significance of subsequent events till the middle of 1997 which appeared to co...

BACKGROUND The importance of optimal and/or superior vision for participation in high-level sports remains the subject of considerable clinical research interest. Here, we examine the vision and visual history of elite/near-elite cricketers and rugby-league players. METHODS Stereoacuity (TNO), colour vision, and distance (with/without pinhole) and near visual acuity (VA) were measured in two ...