Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

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Deckard
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Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Deckard »

  • Paddy McAllister - lateral & cruciate ligaments, left knee
  • Nick Williams - medial ligament, left knee
  • Paddy Wallace - anterior cruciate ligament, left knee
  • Tommy Bowe - lateral ligament, right knee
  • Chris Henry - cartilage tear, right knee
  • Chris Farrell - anterior cruciate ligament, right knee
  • Adam Macklin - knee
  • Jared Payne - groin
  • Johann Muller - groin tear
  • Stephen Ferris - right ankle tendon
  • Roger Wilson - hamstring
  • Sean Doyle - fractured fibula
  • Adam D'Arcy - fractured ankle
Here is Ulster's current injury list as far as I can tell, and in as much detail as I can find - the thing that stands out (apart from the sheer length of the list..) is the spate of knee ligament injuries - 6 so far this season (maybe more, I was unable to find out details of Macklin's injury) and counting. It starts one wondering - is it just bad luck and coincidence? Or is there something systemically amiss in Ulster's S&C?

Obviously the leg joints are particularly prone to injury in rugby, so it's probably no surprise to see them so heavily-represented in the injury list, but the spate of knee injuries looks very freakish...

I have heard people musing about whether the sheer size and weight of some of these guys is simply too much for their frame (in layman's terms) - I don't know whether this is the case or not, but certainly looking at the likes of McAllister and Macklin, who between them have managed about one season fit from the last three years, it would make you wonder. And if it is the case, I don't hold out much hope for Paddy Mac's knees next year, given how monstrous he looks in his last few tweeted photos!!

Of course, it could all just be dumb bad luck - in fairness Ulster haven't been as heavily affected by injuries in the last couple of years, while both Munster and Leinster have gone through some periods of extremely lengthy injury lists. But you'd like to think that at least the question is being asked off our medical/physio/S&C teams to make sure that promising careers aren't going to be stillborn because of something systematic going wrong.

(I'm a total layman btw, with no medical knowledge at all, any docs/physios out there with an opinion??)
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by dublane »

It's just the nature of the modern game, the force of the collisions, and the impacts that will see injuries become more prevalent. This will only increase, as players continue to get bigger and faster. By all accounts Ulsters S+C/ Medical backroom staff are excellent, perhaps evidenced that Ulster have not been affected too badly in previous seasons.
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Rooster »

JD with the fitness and GG as physio are well up the tree in their fields and neither would even need a reference to get a sports job, the Docs Webb and Irwin are also experienced guys who I am sure will have the same thoughts crossing their minds as some of us but it really does look like a real bad run of luck, as they say sh1t happens.
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Jackie Brown »

Deckard wrote:
  • Paddy McAllister - lateral & cruciate ligaments, left knee
  • Nick Williams - medial ligament, left knee
  • Paddy Wallace - anterior cruciate ligament, left knee
  • Tommy Bowe - lateral ligament, right knee
  • Chris Henry - cartilage tear, right knee
  • Chris Farrell - anterior cruciate ligament, right knee
  • Adam Macklin - knee
  • Jared Payne - groin
  • Johann Muller - groin tear
  • Stephen Ferris - right ankle tendon
  • Roger Wilson - hamstring
  • Sean Doyle - fractured fibula
  • Adam D'Arcy - fractured ankle
Here is Ulster's current injury list as far as I can tell, and in as much detail as I can find - the thing that stands out (apart from the sheer length of the list..) is the spate of knee ligament injuries - 6 so far this season (maybe more, I was unable to find out details of Macklin's injury) and counting. It starts one wondering - is it just bad luck and coincidence? Or is there something systemically amiss in Ulster's S&C?

Obviously the leg joints are particularly prone to injury in rugby, so it's probably no surprise to see them so heavily-represented in the injury list, but the spate of knee injuries looks very freakish...

I have heard people musing about whether the sheer size and weight of some of these guys is simply too much for their frame (in layman's terms) - I don't know whether this is the case or not, but certainly looking at the likes of McAllister and Macklin, who between them have managed about one season fit from the last three years, it would make you wonder. And if it is the case, I don't hold out much hope for Paddy Mac's knees next year, given how monstrous he looks in his last few tweeted photos!!

Of course, it could all just be dumb bad luck - in fairness Ulster haven't been as heavily affected by injuries in the last couple of years, while both Munster and Leinster have gone through some periods of extremely lengthy injury lists. But you'd like to think that at least the question is being asked off our medical/physio/S&C teams to make sure that promising careers aren't going to be stillborn because of something systematic going wrong.

(I'm a total layman btw, with no medical knowledge at all, any docs/physios out there with an opinion??)
Get with it Deckard, I've already raised this in another thread! ;-)
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ruckover
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by ruckover »

We have one of the best, if not the best physio team in the world. Everything will be fine.
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ColinM
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by ColinM »

I've a feeling Deckard has riased this on the basis of the beginnings of discussions elsewhere, just hasnt given the appropriate nod to JB
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by damianmcr »

Out of curiousity and this will likely be a ridiculous question. See for example a very well paid premiership footballer had the same injury as a few up there. Would there club, with their millions, have better treatment avaliable to them? You hear about all this placenta malarky. Curious!
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Rooster »

damianmcr wrote:Out of curiousity and this will likely be a ridiculous question. See for example a very well paid premiership footballer had the same injury as a few up there. Would there club, with their millions, have better treatment avaliable to them? You hear about all this placenta malarky. Curious!
Probably have better hairdressers in the Premiership teams :thumleft: :lol:
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stickinout
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by stickinout »

Could it be an environmental factor? Are we training on a new surface or doing something different that has been introduced with the new coach? Even though we have top notch S & C, training staff etc. it should be evaluated to make sure nothing is amiss.
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Scranner »

Is there anyone on this forum qualified to ask these questions = never mind put forward suggestions as to a future course of action? I would guess not. UR have a top sports medicine team - as Rooster has already pointed out. If there was something amiss, I would like to think they would already be asking the questions.
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

stickinout wrote:Could it be an environmental factor? Are we training on a new surface or doing something different that has been introduced with the new coach? Even though we have top notch S & C, training staff etc. it should be evaluated to make sure nothing is amiss.
Could it be? ..... yes.

Is it? ....... no

Look at each injury in its own right - Some in training; some playing for Ulster; some at home; some away; some playing for club; some with Ireland; at least one an aggravation or reccurrence of an injury that happened before the player even arrived in Ulster (I think); lots of different pitches - all different with the exception that due to the physical forces in play at the time of the injury, the body was put into a position it was never designed to be in - result injury.

It happens ..... build a bridge.
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

Scranner wrote:Is there anyone on this forum qualified to ask these questions = never mind put forward suggestions as to a future course of action? I would guess not.
I would suggest there is at least one member of this forum eminently experienced and qualified to ask such questions, and would suggest that if he thought there were questions to be answered, he would have already asked them. I would go so far as to state that the UR medical staff would also listen to him ..... IF he thought there was a problem.
Scranner wrote:UR have a top sports medicine team - as Rooster has already pointed out. If there was something amiss, I would like to think they would already be asking the questions.
Indeed.
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Deckard
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Deckard »

ColinM wrote:I've a feeling Deckard has riased this on the basis of the beginnings of discussions elsewhere, just hasnt given the appropriate nod to JB
No I didn't see the other threads, tbh I've not been able to come on the forum much in the last week or so - so I'm not trying to steal anyone's thunder!!! But as they say, great minds think alike!!

And btw it wasn't in my mind to start some kind of witch-hunt or suggest that our guys were rubbish - it's just natural to start wondering when you get 3 seasons worth of knee ligament damage in not much more than half a season!!!
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

Deckard wrote:But as they say, great minds think alike!!
There's another line to that saying, isn't there? :scratch:

FOOL that I am, I can't quite remember it just now! >EW
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Deckard
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Re: Does Ulster's S&C need a health check???

Post by Deckard »

Cap'n Grumpy wrote:Look at each injury in its own right - Some in training; some playing for Ulster; some at home; some away; some playing for club; some with Ireland; at least one an aggravation or reccurrence of an injury that happened before the player even arrived in Ulster (I think); lots of different pitches - all different with the exception that due to the physical forces in play at the time of the injury, the body was put into a position it was never designed to be in - result injury.
With respect, cap'n, most o these supposed 'multifarious factors' are irrelevant - if there is a systemic issue, I was thinking more along the lines of whether guys are carrying too much poundage, or whether there were specific aspects of training which over time were weakening particular bits of the body. The location of the pitch the injury occurred on is a mere detail.

I'm not saying its the case - as I say I'm a total layman. I've no problem in principle with notching it all down to bad luck. But I'd certainly be interested in hearing from someone who actually does know what they're talking about, which was the main reason for posting in the first place!
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