Rugby is an extremely physical sport, played with minimum protection and with a variety of movements. This results in most rugby injuries being impact injuries such as head, shoulder and ankle injuries.
Probably the first on the list of these injuries in rugby is the shoulder. Through the act of tackling and being part of the ruck or scrum in a team, the shoulder receives quite extreme impact, which can damage the ligaments and muscles or even in extreme circumstances, dislodge the shoulder-blade itself. If the tissues have been damaged, swelling will occur and the shoulder might be kept above the heart and ice be placed immediately on the affected area to reduce the swelling.
Secondly, head injuries come due to a high impact tackle, punch or kick to the head in most cases in rugby. Many players prevent this by simply wearing a helmet, which is an easy and effective way to cushion the impact and lessen the possibility of concussion. Another positive to wearing a helmet of course is the double purpose it serves when protecting the ears too. In rugby, the pulling and high intensity friction caused during the scrum makes the props and hookers susceptible to this injury. Known as ‘cauliflower ear, it can cause irreversible swelling of the cartilage in the ear, a good means by which to prevent this is also by wearing a head strap that covers the ears and protects them from the impact during a match.
Finally, the close proximity of play within rugby dictates that ankle injuries also often occur. Rugby is not only a forward moving game, but also side and backwards moving, meaning the ankle is rotated into many directions. This also applies for the knee, which can be the victim of a forward, side or even backwards tackle.