Rugby league and its impact on a players body post retirement

[AlwaysGreen]

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.

Absolutely correct POPEYE, every week mechanics are being transported into emergency rooms with broken limbs, torn cartilages, dislocated shoulders, fractured jaws, severe bruising and concussion. Because as we all know being smashed in a tackle repeatedly for 80 minutes is exactly the same as removing the clutch plate of a 1977 toyota corrolla. :roll:

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

I'll give you a challenge - go outside and headbutt a telegraph pole for a few days and come back and tell us if you've got cancer.

 

[POPEYE]

Absolutely correct POPEYE, every week mechanics are being transported into emergency rooms with broken limbs, torn cartilages, dislocated shoulders, fractured jaws, severe bruising and concussion. Because as we all know being smashed in a tackle repeatedly for 80 minutes is exactly the same as removing the clutch plate of a 1977 toyota corrolla. :roll:


I'll give you a challenge - go outside and headbutt a telegraph pole for a few days and come back and tell us if you've got cancer.

As usual . . . you have no f**king idea.

Couple of blokes I had working for me lasted about a week unloading 40 foot containers full of engine blocks, heads and gearboxes

. . . reckoned it would stuff them for the game on the weekend.

I did it for 25 years 6 days a week. Give us a rundown on your physical activities

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Couple of blokes I had working for me lasted about a week unloading 40 foot containers full of engine blocks, heads and gearboxes

I did it for 25 years 6 days a week.

That just proves you're a stupid cutie.

Give us a rundown on your physical activities

0600 - I down a dozen raw eggs and then go on a 10 kilometre run culminating in a sprint up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts.
0800 - I go home and make love to the wife.
1000 - I hit the gym. 50 sets of 90 reps working the upper body.
1200 - Put on an old Richard Simmons tape and do a solid 120 minutes of jazzersice.
1400 - Make love to the wife and her sister.
1600 - I hit the gym again. 50 sets of 90 reps working the lowerbody.
1800 - Go down to the docks and unload 40 foot containers full of engine blocks, cocaine and hookers.
2000 - Make love to the wife, her sister and their mother.
2200 - Step into the ring for a bit of kick boxing with Boofo the local champion.
2215 - Take Boofo to the emergency room after breaking his jaw in 26 places.
2300 - Hit the hay and make love to the wife, her sister, their mother and Boofo's wife.

 

[POPEYE]

My body is ratshit through self-inflicted masochism which is the only similarity between me and a League player. Is that too hard to grasp.

The cancer thing is a query of mine concerning what triggers cancer which is dormant in everyone. Do footballers have a higher risk of pulling the trigger.

You do realise that if I tried to assasinate you with words as you feebly try to do me you would be ingloriously outclassed

just as would be the outcome of any physical confrontation without a shadow of doubt as can be discerned from your feministic outbursts.

Then again you may be female which would mean you are in need of a good slap from a feral husband

 

[hitman82]

Great topic, nice work OP.
I'm studying health science part time for kicks, and may look into a similar subject for my next essay.

Here's something that may be of interest:

Rugged Rooster caught in a battle he just couldn't win
THINK DANIEL CONN, THINK TATTOOED tearaway hurling his imposing physique at opponents with little regard for self-preservation. A 102kg ball of muscle doing his best to lift his Roosters team-mates with a massive hit as they stormed into the 2010 decider.
Keep that image in your mind and then try to fathom the fear and frustration that gripped Conn just six weeks ago as he lay in intensive care battling disease and losing weight rapidly off his powerful frame.
Already struggling to come to terms with surgery to a neck injury that had forced him retire at just 25, this second blow left Conn a broken man.
"I developed a pretty bad bout of pneumonia and I lost about 15 kilos in one week," Conn reveals.
"I was in intensive care for a couple of extra days because there was so much blood on my lungs.
"Then when you don't get enough sleep, you just feel like a zombie getting around for the rest of the day."
It has been just 81 days since his last game but in that time the former Bulldog and Titan has had his world turned upside down. But he knows retiring was the right call. The only call. "I'm not getting paid enough to go out there and put my post-footy life at jeopardy," he continues. "I want to have kids one day and be able to live life once footy is over.
"The surgeon said I could play again if I really wanted to, but he said the risk just wasn't worth it and I'd be stupid.
"That's because I've already damaged (his neck) and played so long with the injury, that I've given my other joints around it no hope of recovering. I'd just be back in surgery and require a double fusion, then it wouldn't be so much about playing footy again but my lifestyle would be shot. "The surgeon showed me the close-up of the disc that was removed -- it was like a toothpaste substance.
"It was just all squashed up through my spinal cord and it's already damaged the vertebrae above it.
"All it would take would just be a normal tackle to cause a bit of grief, so it wasn't worth it."
Having battled the pneumonia, weight loss, depression and chronic headaches, Conn is slowly emerging from the darkness -- but the realisation is still sinking in that he'll never again play the game he loves. "I'm still struggling to be honest," he admits. "It still hasn't really sunk in that I won't get to play again unfortunately.
"It's probably starting to a bit more now that I can go in and see the boys every now and then. I'm feeling a lot better than a few weeks ago.
"I was a different person before the operation, in terms of my relationship with my friends, I just didn't really appreciate everything. Not so much in a selfish way, but because I was in pain and I was just worried about that.
"But my mood has been pretty good considering. I think that's just because of my friends and family that have been so good to me."
And then there's his "other" family at the Roosters. The blokes he shared so much joy with in 2010 as they almost pulled off a miracle premiership.
He won't get to charge into battle with them again but despite the pain, Conn has made a conscious effort to remain positive and supportive around the group.
"We had a function, probably three or four days before Daniel was to be operated on -- it was our player-sponsor dinner," reveals Roosters CEO Steve Noyce. "To be honest I didn't think Daniel would be there for obvious reasons.
"But he came along on the night in his suit, but he was just very clearly struggling with his neck.
"I went up to him and said, 'I really appreciate it' and he just said he wasn't going to let anyone down.
"So he certainly got a nomination from me in regards to those player values for the club.
"If Dan were to call me and say, 'Noycie, I just can't make it tonight', there wouldn't have been a problem. You could just tell how much pain he was in, but he didn't whinge. And I know his sponsor, and a lot of people, were just blown away by that respect and pride in the Roosters jersey."
For Conn, it was all about not letting his club down.
"I didn't want to make a big deal of it, because I knew a lot of people go through similar things," he says.
"I just wanted to show my face at the function.
"Noycie and Smithy and the Roosters have been unreal for me, looking after me.
"So I think I owe a lot to the club."
With his strength returning and his resilience kicking in, Conn has already turned an eye to the future, contacting Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence about helping out with his health and fitness business.
"It's amazing, a few doors close and a few more open," he says. "I'm the sort of bloke that's going to have no regrets no matter what happens.
"I'm just stoked to say I started at the Dogs, went to the Titans and finished at a good club like the Roosters."
"I'm not getting paid enough to go out there and put my post-footy life at jeopardy."
~~~~~~~~
By MATT LOGUE

source:
DAN'S DARK DAYS. By: LOGUE, MATT, Rugby League Week, 00359742, 20110720

 

[hitman82]

Surgical Procedures Performed at An NRL Club over 10 Years.
Introduction and Aim

To document the incidence of surgery at a professional rugby league team.

Methods

A prospective database of injuries treated, including operations performed, was kept at the Sydney Roosters NRL team (two senior grades and one junior grade) over the period January 1998 - December 2007. Outcomes, including return to play times, revision surgery required and retirements due to injury were analysed.

Results

A total of 693 (426 senior and 267 junior) player seasons were studied. There were 247 operations performed, representing a rate of surgery of 35.6 operations per 100 player seasons. A slight majority (55%) of these procedures were done in the off-season. The five most common procedures were 4.9 knee arthroscopies per 100 player seasons (25 primary procedures + 9 revision procedures), 4.2 adductor tenotomies per 100 player seasons (25 primary procedures + 4 revisions), 3.0 shoulder reconstructions per 100 players seasons (19 primary procedures + 2 revisions), 3.2 knee reconstructions per 100 player seasons (20 primary operations + 2 revisions) and 2.9 ankle arthroscopies per 100 player seasons (19 primary operations + 1 revision). For both knee and shoulder reconstructions there appeared to be no net change in level of play between pre- and post-operative games. The failure rate of all surgery was 5%.

Conclusions

There is a high rate of surgery utilised for professional rugby league players. This series of moderate size shows good results (in terms of successful return to the same level of professional sport) for those operations that we chose to regularly use, including patellar tendon ACL grafts, open Bankart repair shoulder reconstructions and adductor tenotomies.

Source: Sport Health, Vol. 27, No. 1, 2009 Autumn: 17-29.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Thanks for getting things back on track Hitman.

I got distracted by a Corona with a caravan on the back.

Any chance this article has a more extensive paper you could post a link to?

Not really surprising that knees came in as the most common surgical procedure!

 

[hitman82]

Thanks for getting things back on track Hitman.

I got distracted by a Corona with a caravan on the back.

Any chance this article has a more extensive paper you could post a link to?

Not really surprising that knees came in as the most common surgical procedure!

This talk of Coronas is depressing me... 5pm is so far away for us poor Kuwis.

And yeah robotic knees may be required for future rugby league players. Or maybe just robotic players in general. Or human brains in robotic bodies. I don't know.

I have a couple of good articles I'll post shortly.

Cheers

 

[hitman82]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1332612/pdf/brjsmed00002-0048.pdf

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 injuries that resulted in them being unable to play for five or more consecutive games. The survey asked players to provide information about age, playing weight, number of games played, position played, number and type of major injuries sustained during their career, and the effects of these injuries both during their career and after retirement.

RESULTS: Within the limitations of this study's small sample, it is suggested that players with long term consequences of injury may experience a variety of detrimental effects into retirement, including job limitations, reduced income earning potential, and increased personal medical costs.

CONCLUSION: Although research relating to the type and severity of injuries sustained while playing rugby league has been previously undertaken, investigation into the effect injuries sustained during a professional career have on players after retirement has been neglected. This preliminary investigation suggests that retired professional rugby league players may have at least one long term consequence of injuries sustained during their playing career.


​

​

Follow the link for details, but here's some detailed findings:

...results from this preliminary study indicate that most respondents had some form of long term consequence of major injuries received during their professional career. These included arthritis, chronic back pain, restricted jointmobility, and chronically stiff fingers. Previous research has reported that 50% of rugby league players will have some type of injury during a season,'4 with about a quarter of these being major injuries

... debilitating consequences of major injuries will worsen without appropriate medical care, and with the number of years after retirement. This may explain why four of the five respondents who had been retired for fewer than six years did not report any long term consequences of injury. However, complications may develop later in life.

...The position played also needs to be considered. Previous research suggests that forwards are more susceptible to injury than backs. The ratio of forwards to backs in this study was 2:3, but of the five respondents with no long term consequences, only one was a forward. Thus the backs may have had fewer injuries than the forwards, possibly decreasing the likelihood of long term consequences developing.


Of the respondents with long term complications, eight (29%) had lost income during their career owing to injury. This is not surprising given the relatively high number (25/28 (89%)) of respondents who had worked during their playing careers. Injuries forced eight (29%) respondents to retire prematurely, while another four (14%) were not sure if injury had resulted in their early retirement. As a result, early retirement due to injury seems to be the single biggest factor contributing to (potential) loss of income.
Six (22%) respondents thought their ability to generate income or work in their chosen
occupation had been reduced because of the consequences of old injuries. For three respondents this had occurred since retirement owing to the effects of these injuries.

 

[Rogue.9]

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpec32008OY On the Matty Johns show they measured the G-force of parra players tacking Ahn Do and a few were bigger than a car crash

 

[God-King Dean]

 

[AlwaysGreen]

My body is ratshit through self-inflicted masochism which is the only similarity between me and a League player. Is that too hard to grasp.

No one cares. You tried to troll this thread like you have many others. If you want sympathy for your years of stupidity tell someone who cares, ie no one.

The cancer thing is a query of mine concerning what triggers cancer which is dormant in everyone. Do footballers have a higher risk of pulling the trigger.

How? I doubt it. The head knocks may predispose them to CVA or earlier than expected onset of dementia but cancer? I doubt it.

You do realise that if I tried to assasinate you with words as you feebly try to do me you would be ingloriously outclassed

:lol::lol: I'm very flattered POPEYE but I'm not feebly trying to do you. Dumb pricks aren't my type. :lol::lol: And it's assassinate you mental pygmy.

just as would be the outcome of any physical confrontation without a shadow of doubt as can be discerned from your feministic outbursts.

A physical threat over the internet. How very 2001. And feministic is not a word you pedestrian. You really are being 'gloriously outclassed' today.

Then again you may be female which would mean you are in need of a good slap from a feral husband

I wouldn't mind a slap now and then to spice things up.


In conclusion, for once in your time on these forums stop trolling and you might be taken seriously.

 

[POPEYE]

No one cares. You tried to troll this thread like you have many others. If you want sympathy for your years of stupidity tell someone who cares, ie no one.

How? I doubt it. The head knocks may predispose them to CVA or earlier than expected onset of dementia but cancer? I doubt it.

:lol::lol: I'm very flattered POPEYE but I'm not feebly trying to do you. Dumb pricks aren't my type. :lol::lol: And it's assassinate you mental pygmy.

A physical threat over the internet. How very 2001. And feministic is not a word you pedestrian. You really are being 'gloriously outclassed' today.

I wouldn't mind a slap now and then to spice things up.


In conclusion, for once in your time on these forums stop trolling and you might be taken seriously.

So easy

 

[AlwaysGreen]

So easy

Good try dopey, the old 'I was fishing' response didn't work the first time you used it and it certainly won't work the 300th time. You're out of your league 'old' man, give up and go be humiliated some place else.

My apologies to the posters trying to have a decent thread.

 

[Silent Knight]

Good try dopey, the old 'I was fishing' response didn't work the first time you used it and it certainly won't work the 300th time. You're out of your league 'old' man, give up and go be humiliated some place else.

My apologies to the posters trying to have a decent thread.

No please continue AG. You're providing great entertainment value for me and my housemate. Your clashes with POPEYE never get old :lol:

I won't get involved in this battle of the heavyweights because I feel you two have the p*ssing on the wall contest covered, but from a spectator's perspective please continue

 

[POPEYE]

Good try dopey, the old 'I was fishing' response didn't work the first time you used it and it certainly won't work the 300th time. You're out of your league 'old' man, give up and go be humiliated some place else.

My apologies to the posters trying to have a decent thread.

Yes, you're right about assasinate . . . oops. I guess Noosa and antique laptops are not compatible.

You shouldn't have reminded people about my penchant for throwing a line and your 'prospect' is not helping by naming me a heavyweight.

There's something you can help me with. I've got to help organise a presentation and I was wondering if minor place trophies should be engraved with names.

Boredom is something I've never been able to deal with but you'll be happy to know after today I'll be too busy to play

 

[nohope]

NFL Players ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xG3-U2rExA

 

[Bring it home Knights]

So easy

You're a twat. Why clog up a thread with your own stupidity?

 

[joshie]

I once played on through sprained ankles. f**king regret it now...

 

[TheDalek079]

nice update!