Rugby league and its impact on a players body post retirement

[newman]

I know Steve Mortimer and Adam Dykes. Both of them have shot knees, shot hips, shot wrists and shoulders. Morts can't run at all and Dykesy can play a bit of oztag, that's it.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Every joint would get a battering and not just from the physical impact of tackle but also that of running untold kilometers during a career. Knees, hips would be victims of oesteoarthritis and I'd wager that most footballers would have at least one TKR or THR sometime in their post football life - ankles aren't so easy to fix, maybe fusion surgery if the pain got too bad. Shoulders would be another one, particularly rotator cuffs, I'd say there would be a few ex players out their who would struggle to lift their arms above their heads.

 

[undertaker]

Do you think it's a case of some individuals being more blessed than others, or are there other reasons? I mean, compare a player like Andrew Johns who had the plethora of injuries he had, to someone like Steve Menzies who hasn't had any major injuries in his career, has been playing at the top level for nearly 20 years and over 400 games (in both NRL and SL combined)?

Do you think that some positions in league are more prone to injuries than others (e.g. front rower vs winger)?

 

[Bring it home Knights]

It can depend on a number of factors, but generally speaking, a one off ACL tear can be fixed pretty much good as new with surgery, time and rehab. Repeated damage and surgery to a joint such as Benji Marshalls' shoulders is not a good thing in terms of pain and mobility in later life.

As for cartilage, it regenerates extremely slowly, if at all, so as I understand it, knee (or any) cartilage damage is far more serious and becomes a chronic condition. You're stuck with it barring joint replacement.

To simplify, the ligament damage is from a one off impact and the cartilage damage is from years of wear and tear. Recovery times mirror the injury - in a way.

I'm in my 30's and have been pretty lucky to be in reasonable nick. A few ankle probs due to dozens of sprains could become worse as time goes on, but hey - I saw Michael Crocker in an off season while he was playing for Melbourne and the way he walked down the street suggested that just about anyone will be better off than him in 10 or 15 years time.

Ever heard of glucosomine? That stuff is quality. In a lot of people it helps grow the cartilage back. My knee feels better now than 5-10 years ago.

 

[God-King Dean]

Dean Young only runs one day a week.

Hate to see what his knees will look like in a decade.

 

[counterpuncher]

see Graeme Wynn around the place a fair bit..... big fella does not look like he enjoys stairs. Knees and hips are both seemingly stuffed.

 

[hitman82]

Odell Manuel totalled over 900 in a Powerlifting competition.

Interesting factoid, cheers! He's actually the (unofficial) Australian champion - got busted for a banned substance but only got a very small ban as they accepted he took it unintentionally via a supplement, rather than in mass quantities for performance enhancing purposes.

Ruben Wiki competes in endurance and strongman events, and still looks like a total beast. Maybe the brown brothers are more hardy than their vanilla counterparts.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Ever heard of glucosomine? That stuff is quality. In a lot of people it helps grow the cartilage back. My knee feels better now than 5-10 years ago.

Yup, it certainly does give many people a new lease on life, but results do vary quite a bit. It does help delay or negate (in some instances) the need for a knee replacement for plenty of people.
Unfortunately not everyone has Dennis Lillee like results. Good to hear it is doing the trick for you though!

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Interesting factoid, cheers! He's actually the (unofficial) Australian champion - got busted for a banned substance but only got a very small ban as they accepted he took it unintentionally via a supplement, rather than in mass quantities for performance enhancing purposes.

Ruben Wiki competes in endurance and strongman events, and still looks like a total beast. Maybe the brown brothers are more hardy than their vanilla counterparts.

If you'd donate your ankle to Taniela Tuiaki I'd be eternally grateful!

 

[DeeJ]

Ruben Wiki competes in endurance and strongman events, and still looks like a total beast. Maybe the brown brothers are more hardy than their vanilla counterparts.

I've actually read they are more susceptible to joint damage and pains than Caucasians.

I remember an article about Israel Folau they mentioned this fact in when he announced he was going to AFL.

 

[IanG]

I can't remember where I heard this but I've heard that the impact of a good solid tackle is right up there of that of a minor car accident

 

[Hooch]

Dean Young is just destroying what little is left of his knee. That's the sort of obvious case, where you've got to wonder if he has any idea what he is letting himself in for. Lucky these days we've got TKR's so you can eke a few more years out of it, but you don't want to be faced with a choice between getting a prosthetic that will wear out at a young age or possibly pretty bad chronic knee pain.

Oh well good luck to him, I assume he knows the risks, there are worse injuries in life than knee arthritis but it still sucks I'd imagine.

 

[juanfarkall]

I'm interested to know if anyone on this forum, who used to play rugby league at any level, still experiences problems from injuries they may have sustained during their league career.

Also, which injuries do you think are the worst for a league player to get (in terms of the potential ramifications and effects when they get older)? Knee? Neck?

Had surgery on the same knee twice... 25 years apart....still f**ked.
Dislocated shoulders (right at 16, left at 27) cause me problems if I sleep on my side.
Noisey clicky ankles that randomly give way.
Elbow which hurts like hell (and swells up) if I knock it the "wrong" way from clipping a bloke's forehead once.
Occasional clicking and stiffness neck and back.
Most fingers twisted or bent, all clicky.

Something worth mentioning is that as you get towards the end of your playing time with most non professional players fitness starts to drop and you get by a bit more on "knowing the short cuts".
When you then stop playing it gets pretty hard to acheve a sufficient level of fitness to keep the weight down particularly if you bad knees or ankles which then becomes a vicious circle as you get to a point where you can't run much due to strain on those joints and become limited with exercise options.
Not using it as an excuse or copout, but that's the way it often ends up. If you were the sort of player who would often do extra training on your own, you would be fine but if you only trained with the team or did extra with a few mates you would struggle in retirement.

I would say that ankle, knee and hip injuries have the most impact but some mornings I would say shoulder, neck or back.

 

[undertaker]

Had surgery on the same knee twice... 25 years apart....still f**ked.
Dislocated shoulders (right at 16, left at 27) cause me problems if I sleep on my side.
Noisey clicky ankles that randomly give way.
Elbow which hurts like hell (and swells up) if I knock it the "wrong" way from clipping a bloke's forehead once.
Occasional clicking and stiffness neck and back.
Most fingers twisted or bent, all clicky.

Something worth mentioning is that as you get towards the end of your playing time with most non professional players fitness starts to drop and you get by a bit more on "knowing the short cuts".
When you then stop playing it gets pretty hard to acheve a sufficient level of fitness to keep the weight down particularly if you bad knees or ankles which then becomes a vicious circle as you get to a point where you can't run much due to strain on those joints and become limited with exercise options.
Not using it as an excuse or copout, but that's the way it often ends up. If you were the sort of player who would often do extra training on your own, you would be fine but if you only trained with the team or did extra with a few mates you would struggle in retirement.

I would say that ankle, knee and hip injuries have the most impact but some mornings I would say shoulder, neck or back.

Which brings me to one of my earlier posts. Is it a case of some players being more blessed than others when it comes to injuries? Like, you just told me about your injuries, and compared to someone like Steve Menzies, who hasn't had any major injuries even though he has been playing at the highest level for nearly 20 years (as well as achieving rep honours for NSW and Australia). When you look back at your life, from your experience, do you think it was worth playing league (at whatever level you played it at, and for the duration of time you played it for)? Do you think players today are more prone to serious injuries compared to when you were playing it (e.g. having all these Islanders playing in league today, who are substantially a lot larger in size. There's been a lot of debate recently as to whether or not weight divisions should be introduced at school age level)?

 

[undertaker]

Dean Young is just destroying what little is left of his knee. That's the sort of obvious case, where you've got to wonder if he has any idea what he is letting himself in for. Lucky these days we've got TKR's so you can eke a few more years out of it, but you don't want to be faced with a choice between getting a prosthetic that will wear out at a young age or possibly pretty bad chronic knee pain.

Oh well good luck to him, I assume he knows the risks, there are worse injuries in life than knee arthritis but it still sucks I'd imagine.

Kurt Gidley has already had several operations because of knee cartilage problems. Like Paul Harragon, you think he has some tough years ahead of him when he hangs up the boots?

 

[POPEYE]

League is no different to any physically demanding activity. I spent 25 years dismantling motor vehicles and masochistically carrying things that would make OH&S shudder.

F**cked knees, elbows, kneck and ankle is the result . . . still have a great back.

Always wondered if continual hits in the same spot would increase the chance of cancer in League players though

 

[Hutty1986]

Dean Young is just destroying what little is left of his knee. That's the sort of obvious case, where you've got to wonder if he has any idea what he is letting himself in for. Lucky these days we've got TKR's so you can eke a few more years out of it, but you don't want to be faced with a choice between getting a prosthetic that will wear out at a young age or possibly pretty bad chronic knee pain.

Oh well good luck to him, I assume he knows the risks, there are worse injuries in life than knee arthritis but it still sucks I'd imagine.

Good point re. Youngy, the poor bloke has annilihilated his knees and can barely train during the week because of it. I love him as a player but I honestly think he should retire at the end of the 2012 season. He is ruining his quality of life post-footy

 

[Tigger Madness]

This is a fascinating topic. Ive always wondered how bad some of these guys end up after their careers.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Good point re. Youngy, the poor bloke has annilihilated his knees and can barely train during the week because of it. I love him as a player but I honestly think he should retire at the end of the 2012 season. He is ruining his quality of life post-footy

Reality is, he can either live his dream and be a professional footballer while making good $$$ and set his family up for life with the knowledge that walking isn't going to be his best friend for a looooong time, or he can retire and run the family pub with Craig.

 

[adamkungl]

Pretty good thread, fascinating read. That's how it is with RL though...you give it all you can for as long as you can, and then some more. Anyone who has ever played knows that even when you're injured, you just want to get out there and play....self preservation is rarely a consideration