Best (Worst) Injuries you have had

First topic message reminder :

Ok now while safety in Rugby is paramount, Us all being rugby players or Ex rugby players and being proper men, what is the most impressive injury you have sustained? This is not to be offensive in anyway just thought it could be a fun(ish) way to compare injuries!

I will start with a few from my team
My friend ruptured his kidney a few seasons ago
last weekend one of my teammates dislocated his knee
and finally for me a broken Radius, with a plate and 6 screws which has kept me out of the season from mid september (2nd game of the season until now, though should February!)

ok so now your turn? can you beat mine!

robbo277 wrote:Cracked a rib in a scrum (played drunk in a tour game three weeks later) and twisted a knee skiing (played ten days later).

ah yes twisted knee is a pain in the bottom!
another personal injury magnet for me albeit a short term thing is a ball to the face, that doesn't half smart!!!

I have had ankle and knee injuries and they are no laughing matter. Never get your speed back with a knee injury and they haunt you until your dying day. Ankle injuries can be equally troublesome to overcome. Annoying thing is they both happened in such an unspectacular fashion. I'd love to be able to tell of a mighty crack and one ligament going one way and the knee going the other. But truth be told they both happened (on different days of course) in a tackle, I continued playing and only after a few more rucks did I notice some pain but wanted to keep on playing. Got subbed off because I was running so slowly and couldn't kick to save myself (both times to my right leg).

The worst injury though was to my pride. An open line and the covering defence was fanning out to the man outside me. I feigned a pass and stepped inside only to run into a loosie I hadn't seen and got monstered in a tackle. The ball spilled loose and the groans of agony as my pride was ripped to shreds were excruciating to hear. Unfortunately no sympathy and a lethal combination of mocking laughter and contempt shook my wounded soul. The scars are still visible today.

I have been fairly fortunate to avoid anything serious but I did witness something horrific. We had a lad who played 12 for us and was a really superb player. Big, strong, fast, deft hands, he really was a good player. He took a crash ball from our ten and ran straight into the opposition 10 and 7. There was a tangle of bodies, the ball popped out and ended up with the other teams openside. Our 12 grabbed hold of his shirt to try and stop him breaking away, but somehow ended up with his back to the opposition and their 10 came through his outstretched arm. For reasons he still doesn't know to this day, he couldn't free his arm from the flankers shirt and so as the 10 came through it basically bent his arm back against itself, popping his elbow the wrong way and shattering his forearm just below the elbow joint. It honestly looked like he had a cricket ball stuck up his sleeve but it turned out to be his bone poking through the skin. Gruesome.

I have a permanently sore lower back but I think that stems from playing hooker for the best part of 15 years.

The most serious injury I received occurred on the first (and only) time I attempted to play LH prop. I was pretty young and inexperienced and came up against a rather more experienced TH who saw me coming a mile off. Ball gets knocked on and so we set for the first scrum. Ref was on the opposite side of the scrum and touch judge was either trying to light a fag or chatting up a women, either way he wasn't watching the game with all his attention. This was back in the days of sequential binding as well so down we go, we bind, the second rows lock in and the flankers pack down. All going well so far until the ref shouts push, at which point the opposition TH decides to release his bind on my arm (already an illegal bind I'll have you know!) and bind on to my hair. Yes, my hair. I scream like a girl, the scrum goes down on my side, the ref (provided by the opposition) somehow gives a penalty against me from the opposite side of the scrum and their TH walks off p!ssing himself with the rest of their front row removing my locks of hair from his fingernails.

It really really hurt.

I met a girl working behind the bar at a rugby club. She broke my heart.........

LOL , love at first sight lead to

gregortree wrote:I haven't seem any 'best' injuries yet
I guess that is one where post injury a lovely nurse takes good care of all your needs, but sadly never had the experience.

I have in past broken left tib, several fingers, popped rib cartilage.
Leg scrapes too many to remember. The odd mild concussion.

Survived luckily without any permanent ill effects.
The tib/ fib 180deg case above does sound the most horrific though.

Was a bad one Gregor - someone in the team took a picture (as you do) looked like a Sunday joint you were about to cook.

I was also called zorro in my 1st rugby club when I was 15 when I was kicked in the face. It gave me a Z shaped cut

Worst was hamstring going as I hared off down the wing having collected a loose kick ahead (played FB). I'd just neatly run round their winger and was clear away when it just went. I pulled up like I had racing brakes and my chance of glory was gone. The longest lasting was a dislocated jaw. It still clicks loudly from time to time (50yrs on) when I eat much to the amusement of all present.

Didn't get the injury in a Rugby game, but dislocated my right knee cap playing Cricket while batting.

Worst injury probably sustained in Rugby...... I may have suffered a concussion i'm not sure, I was tackled in a game and landed on my back but my head whipped back and smacked the floor. Apparently I got up and couldn't run straight, waved off my coach telling me to come off as it was a game against my old school and I wanted to stay on. Thats when my coach alerted the ref that I was to be substituted off Spent the rest of the time on the side feeling ill and dizzy.

Do rugby players ever get numb Winkle syndrome?

Broken fingers
Broken bone in shoulder
Hamstring tear
Spiral fracture of fibia
torn ankle ligaments

The most painful of these was the ankle ligaments. Much more painful than breaking my leg.

Most of these still give me some problems from time to time especially in the cold months.