Le Roux J, van Rensburg Dc Janse, den Hollander S, Kerkhoffs Gmmj, Gouttebarge V
Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
S Afr J Sports Med. 2024 Sep 15;36(1):v36i1a17651. doi: 10.17159/2078-516X/2024/v36i1a17651. eCollection 2024.
Rugby is a physically demanding sport with a high injury rate. Professional male rugby players have a notably greater risk of sustaining injuries that require hospitalisation or surgery than male athletes from non-contact sports. Retired elite male rugby players experience physical and mental health conditions as well as varying levels of pain, negatively impacting their quality of life. Retired rugby players could use medication or substances as a coping mechanism to deal with chronic pain and a lower quality of life. However, research is scarce on how retired rugby players manage pain and how this affects their quality of life.
This study aimed to understand joint pain and impairment, mental and physical quality of life, and pain medication use in retired professional male rugby players.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire completed by retired professional male rugby players. Joint pain and impairment were explored through three questions, health-related quality of life was assessed through the PROMIS-GH, and medication use was explored through 12 questions.
Retired rugby players (N=142) reported higher scores than matched controls (N=49) for joint pain and impairment, including significantly higher scores for joint impairments for activities of daily living (=0.047). The global mental health scores of retired rugby players were significantly lower compared to matched controls (p=0.043) and the global physical health scores were also lower in retired rugby players. Most retired rugby players reported not using prescription pain medication (75%) or over-the-counter pain medication (56%).
Professional rugby careers have a considerable impact on the joint health and overall well-being of retired players, resulting in unique challenges. The findings of this study emphasise the need for specific after-career support for challenges faced by retired rugby players.
橄榄球是一项对体能要求很高的运动，受伤率也很高。职业男性橄榄球运动员比从事非接触性运动的男性运动员遭受需要住院治疗或手术的损伤的风险显著更高。退役的精英男性橄榄球运动员会出现身心健康问题以及不同程度的疼痛，对他们的生活质量产生负面影响。退役橄榄球运动员可能会使用药物或物质作为应对机制来处理慢性疼痛和较低的生活质量。然而，关于退役橄榄球运动员如何管理疼痛以及这如何影响他们的生活质量的研究很少。
本研究旨在了解退役职业男性橄榄球运动员的关节疼痛与损伤、心理和身体生活质量以及止痛药物使用情况。
采用问卷调查法对退役职业男性橄榄球运动员进行横断面研究。通过三个问题探讨关节疼痛与损伤，通过患者报告结果测量信息系统-一般健康量表（PROMIS-GH）评估健康相关生活质量，并通过12个问题探讨药物使用情况。
退役橄榄球运动员（N = 142）在关节疼痛与损伤方面的得分高于匹配对照组（N = 49），包括日常生活活动关节损伤得分显著更高（P = 0.047）。与匹配对照组相比，退役橄榄球运动员的总体心理健康得分显著更低（P = 0.043），其总体身体健康得分也更低。大多数退役橄榄球运动员报告未使用处方止痛药物（75%）或非处方止痛药物（56%）。
职业橄榄球生涯对退役运动员的关节健康和整体幸福感有相当大的影响，带来了独特的挑战。本研究结果强调了针对退役橄榄球运动员所面临挑战提供特定职业生涯后支持的必要性。
