Tackles, tears and troubles... a South African Sports Medicine Association perspective

Rugby Sevens returns to the Olympics this August after an absence of over 90 years. South African Seabelo Senatla, pictured on the cover of this edition, is one of a number of international Rugby Sevens players with poetic-sounding names. Akira Ioane (New Zealand), Nathan Hirayama (Canada), Collins Injera (Kenya) and Savenaca Rawaca (Fiji) have titles of similar allure for rugby commentators. The truly international reach, fast pace and tempo of the sport are likely to do justice to the Olympic mantra of “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, but the debates surrounding the risks of collision sport, the discussions around injury epidemiology and prevention and the ubiquitous grey cloud of doping are unlikely to evaporate in the midst of Olympic euphoria. This SASMA-led BJSM edition scrutinises these aspects of sport.http://bjsm.bmj.comhb2016Sports Medicin

Resilient or reckless? Robust debate on risk and reward in sport

Strong, vigorous, sturdy and rugged are all synonyms applicable to the word ‘robust’. A glass of full-bodied South African cabernet sauvignon may also be described by the sommelier as ‘robust’ and I hope that this South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) edition of BJSM will linger on your intellectual palate as it highlights key issues around the debate on contact and collision sport.http://bjsm.bmj.comhj2017Sports Medicin

Rugby contact and collisions — clinical challenges of a global game

Rugby Union (rugby) is a sport that evolved from and resembles other forms of football but is unique in many respects and presents distinctive clinical challenges. This article discusses those aspects of rugby that are different from other sports and those injuries that have specific significance to the game as a result of it being a global collision sport with an increasing focus on serious injury prevention. Injury screening and intervention programs, neck injuries, rugby’s contribution to evolving concussion protocols, contact and travel-related illnesses, and rugby’s drug intervention protocols are discussed.http://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/pages/default.aspx2015-09-30hj201

BokSmart – South African Rugby’s National Rugby Safety and Injury Prevention Program

No abstract available.http://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/pages/default.aspxhb201

Why some Africans stand out in a crowd : BokSmart for injury prevention and other SASMA-related jewels

No abstract available.http://bjsm.bmj.com/ay201

BokSmart - implementing a National Rugby Safety Programme

The BokSmart National Rugby Safety Programme is a joint initiative between the South African Rugby Union and the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players Fund aimed at implementing evidencebased sports medicine and exercise research to prevent injury and enhance performance at all levels of rugby union in South Africa. The BokSmart programme has four main elements: Ø the BokSmart Rugby Safety Workshops, a compulsory DVD-facilitated course that all coaches and referees in SA attend on a biennial basis, Ø the BokSmart Rugby Medic Programme, an entry-level rugby first aid short course aimed at training members of underprivileged rugby-playing communities, Ø the toll-free BokSmart Spineline number, which assists in the management and road transport of head-, neck- and spine-injured rugby players to the nearest appropriate medical facility, and Ø the freely accessible online educational resource www.boksmart.com, which provides researched documentation and practical advice on a variety of rugby-related topics.http://bjsm.bmj.com/hb201

Qhubeka! Moving forward with SASMA

No abstract availablehttp://bjsm.bmj.com

Clarifying concussion in youth rugby : recognise and remove

In the April 2015 issue of BJSM, Kirkwood et al1 drew attention to concussion in youth rugby, concluding with four recommendations, most of which are well founded. One would agree there is a lack of medical personnel at youth games, a need for increased awareness of concussion management and a requirement for generalised data collection. However, suggesting rugby alone should ‘never be compulsory’ is highlighting that it might perhaps be an unsafe sport to play.http://bjsm.bmj.comhb2016Sports Medicin

What is the relationship between groin pain in athletes and femoroacetabular impingement?

No abstracthttp://bjsm.bmj.com/2015-07-30hb201

Comprehending concussion : evolving and expanding our clinical insights

Concussion in sport has been defined as a “complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by biomechanical factors.” The condition is characterised by “a graded set of clinical symptoms that may or may not involve loss of consciousness.”http://bjsm.bmj.comhb2016Sports Medicin