What are contact sports?
Contact sports are disciplines that involve physical contact between players, deliberately or not. Two of the most popular are rugby and footfall where injuries are not an uncommon occurrence.
The risks of contact sports
One of the most significant risks of contact sports that has come to light in recent years is the danger of brain injury. Frequent and significant impacts on the head have been suggested to cause long-term brain health issues including dementia that can be fatal.
Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson is leading a group medical negligence claim to sue for damages against the UK’s rugby governing bodies, believing that they failed to protect players from permanent brain injuries caused by repetitive concussion and sub-concussive blows.
Ex-footballers and the families of those who have died are also joining the cause to highlight the avoidable lasting neurological injuries that result from contact sports. The Football Association deny being aware of the risks but is in full support of the new dementia study in former footballers.
Impact in contact sports can also cause other injuries and rare fatalities. The most serious causes have been spinal injuries leading to partial- or full-body paralysis and death. More commonly, contact sports players are at risk of musculoskeletal issues like sprains, strains and fractures.
How to stay safe when playing
Follow the rules
As well as keeping play and scoring fair and followable, the rules of contact sports are there to ensure the physical health and safety of players.
With evidence pointing towards the long-term consequences of consistent head impacts, changes are being made to traditional rules and regulations to help safeguard players against serious harm. Particular attention is being paid to children playing contact sports.
For example, the Football Association has put in place new guidelines on heading in training and matches for under 12s. Deliberate heading has been removed from competitions and limited to ten per session during training.
Other ways to stay safe when playing contact sports include:
- Wearing the right gear e.g., mouthguards, helmets and shatterproof glasses
- Prioritising rest to avoid injury from overplaying and recovery properly from injuries
- Always warming up and cooling down before matches and training games
- Considering other health conditions that might be exacerbated by contact sports
Responding to an injury
You must know how to respond to an injury should an accident occur while you’re playing. This is essential to the health and safety of yourself and others.
Sprains, strains and joint issues should be treated with the RICE method for the first 48 hours and followed up with your GP if there’s no sign of improvement. For short-term issues like nose bleeds, stop play and bench the player for the rest of the game.
In contrast, examples of emergencies that require an immediate call for an ambulance include:
- A prolonged loss of consciousness
- Broken bones
- Injuries to the head and face
- Eye damage
- Abdominal pain
- Neck and spine injuries
