‘In a blink of an eye your life can change’: experiences of players sustaining a rugby-related acute spinal cord injury

Lived experiences of caregivers and survivors of paediatric spinal cord injury: A scoping review of qualitative studies

CONTEXT

Paediatric Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) has an impact on a child's dynamic development, disrupting their participation in school, community, and social relationships while simultaneously causing repercussions on their caregiver's life. The rare nature of paediatric SCI calls for a detailed inspection of the literature from the perspective of children and their caregivers.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review of qualitative research determines the extent of literature from perspective of caregivers and individuals with paediatric SCI.

METHODS

9351 full-text published articles were identified from CINAHL, Ovid, PubMed, and Scopus between 2001 and 2021. After duplicate deletion, 8354 articles were left, and 103 full-text articles were assessed for their eligibility. Finally, eight articles were assessed for their relevance. Key themes that emerged from the data were summarized, compared, and synthesized.

RESULTS

Six studies were from the perspectives of individuals with SCI and two from caregiver's perspective. Three major themes were identified from caregivers' opinion studies: "Obstacles to community participation"; "Unmet needs related to a child with SCI"; and "Radiating effect on caregivers' lives"; whereas five were obtained from individuals with paediatric SCI opinion studies: "Adjusting to life with SCI"; "Hardships & hardiness"; "Peers & family/emotional support"; "Perception of self & body-image post injury"; and "Transitioning into post-traumatic life".

CONCLUSION

There is a need for more specialized rehabilitation centers and an accessible environment in public spaces. Also, the review sheds some light on the discriminatory attitude of society as a whole, which can be improved by providing proper knowledge and awareness of SCI.

The meaning of injury to the elite athlete: A systematic review

In the pursuit of a successful career in elite sports, athletes mostly rely on their physical abilities. An injury can threaten such a career, thereby representing a potentially critical life event that carries considerable meaning to the affected athlete. Qualitative literature exploring injury experiences in elite athletes is therefore seeking to frame injury through the athlete's own voice. With this systematic review, we aimed to answer the research question What is the meaning of injuries to the elite athlete? by reviewing existing qualitative research exploring the meaning of injury as told from the athlete's perspective. We constructed five overarching themes of meaning through thematic synthesis of 29 original studies: (1) unwelcome disruption - Injury as potential career threat; (2) destruction - My life (as an athlete) is over; (3) reinforcement - Relighting the fire; (4) going through the motions - Injury as an inherent part of elite sport; and (5) time-out - Respite and perspective. These meanings were neither exclusive nor static but constructed according to the situation at the moment of injury and could later be adapted depending on social context and specific circumstances. To better support injured athletes, practitioners need to be aware of the importance of the subjective meaning that athletes construct for individual injuries. Understanding these meanings enables practitioners to aid athletes in changing previously negative meanings into more positive ones. Our findings therefore call for improvements in the individualized support of elite athletes that leaves space for open communication about the meanings that athletes attach to their injury experiences.

''It was the end of the world" - The lifeworld of elite male rugby union players living with injury. An interpretative phenomenological analysis

BACKGROUND

Professional rugby is an aggressive sport. Consequently, injuries are an inevitable part of a rugby player's career. It is therefore crucial for sports medicine professionals to understand the subjective experience of injured athletes in order to optimize their care.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to take a lifeworld perspective to explore how living with injury was meaningful to professional rugby players.

METHODS

A purposive sample of five participants were recruited and data collection undertaken via semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology to develop the themes.

FINDINGS

Three master themes emerged from the analysis, each comprising of two subthemes; 1) Sense of Uncertainty (1a. Fear of the Unknown, 1b. Lack of Control), 2) Experienced Change in Relationships (2a. Lived Human Relations, 2b. Coping), 3) Sense of Self (3a. Isolation and Belonging, 3b. ''Being" an Athlete).

CONCLUSION

Participants described the challenge to their sense of self and 'being' athletes', as the isolation from the team deprived them of their sense of belonging. Participants illustrated the experienced significance of their relationships, the uncertainty over their lives and the unique strategies to cope. Emotions of anxiety, grief, anger, and shock reverberate throughout their accounts.

Lay of the land: narrative synthesis of tackle research in rugby union and rugby sevens

Objectives

The purpose of this review was to synthesise both injury prevention and performance tackle-related research to provide rugby stakeholders with information on tackle injury epidemiology, including tackle injury risk factors and performance determinants, and to discuss potential preventative measures.

Design

Systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Data sources

PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science.

Eligibility criteria

Limited to peer-reviewed English-only publications between January 1995 and October 2018.

Results

A total of 317 studies were identified, with 177 in rugby union and 13 were in rugby sevens. The tackle accounted for more than 50% of all injuries in rugby union and rugby sevens, both at the professional level and at the lower levels, with the rate of tackle injuries higher at the professional level (mean 32/1000 player-hours) compared with the lower levels (mean 17/1000 player-hours). A player’s tackle actions and technical ability were identified as major risk factors for injury and a key determinant of performance.

Summary/conclusion

Evidence-based education, progressive tackle technique training with a high potential to transfer and law changes have been proposed as key modifiers of player tackle actions and technical ability. Conceivably, all three modifiers working in unison (as opposed to separately) will have a higher potential at reducing tackle injury risk while enhancing performance. With the guidance of tackle injury and performance studies, as well as stakeholder engagement, experiential and explorative tackle research has the potential to inspire innovative injury prevention and performance strategies.