I have to give up Rugby

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tbrain1989
tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
in Motivation and Support
I play rugby quite regularly, the whole purpose of ever managing my weight was to be involved in the sport. most people arent that keen on beinng above 200lbs and fit but its all part of the game.

now fast forward and i have to stop playing due to a knee injury, ill spare you the details but its defintiley game over.

im only 24 and i would really like to find abother active hobby that is social.

anyone got any suggestions or advice. im happy to try almost anything
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  • matthehat
    matthehat Posts: 38 Member
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    Sorry about the knee man! But honestly my sport is weight lifting, its my favorite thing to do! Another one, that some might not call a sport is rowing!
  • blobby10
    blobby10 Posts: 357 Member
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    Touch rugby? I play that every week and we have loads of players who dont play full contact any more due to injury.
    Same camaraderie, less physcial damage!! x
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    you can do weightlifting... you will probably need to check with a physio what lifts are safe for your knee but you'll be fine with upper body lifts, and the lower body lifts there may still be ways you can do them, or you can find other ways to work those muscles. And for some injuries squats actually can help improve joint stability (but only go that route under the advice of a physio, because some injuries it'll make worse)

    if you work out at a gym it's quite social...

    to be honest it's hard to make suggestions re team sports without knowing about your injury and what kinds of activities your knee can still take... most team sports involve either running or skating, both of which put a strain on the knee... if the physio says they're okay then that will help you with what you can do.......... weightlifting is something you can do so long as a physio advises what lifts are safe for you, but even people who are paralysed from the waist down can still do upper body lifts so there'll be something you can do pretty much no matter what. Maybe water polo is an option as a team sport if all running is out of the question.
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    i might be my own worst enemy here but i already go to the gym. its pretty common for rugby players to do weight training. i cant really see it being as fun as team sport. infact i prefer to train on my own to get it done.

    My knee isnt totally destroyed but its close, with out labouring the point i can still actually run just fine, i enjoy running its the directional changes and impacts of rugby combined with the stop start nature that i cant continue.

    the real thing is that i have to stop the game before i really ruin my knee, its not worth a couple more years of rubgy that could destroy my abillity to walk.

    just wondered what else people got up to that was quite social and active
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
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    What exactly have you done to your knee? Stop/start and twists being a problem implies joint stability, which in turn implies physio work should help.

    Any cartilage/meniscus damage is of course pretty much permanent, but people can and do continue all sorts of things without cartilage.
  • Eastern_Echo23
    Eastern_Echo23 Posts: 198 Member
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    I gave up baseball after i needed ankle surgery on both feet, now i have arthritis problems in both feet.... I stopped playing after the age of 24. It was definitely game over when i shattered my nose taking a hot ball in the face at 2nd base... Now i just hike as much as my feet let me!
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
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    Its such a tough game, I did my ankle at 21, made it till 24/25 then it was too much, stopped.

    Can you still run etc? You can look at jogging? Cycling?

    Could you do maybe a martial art, has the physical aspect in it for you.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    racquetball. I used to do karate but my knees gave out took me a long time to find something. I also swim alot
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    directional changes would probably rule out most team sports that involve running even if you can run just fine in a straight line... maybe join an athletics club and just do running. That way you get the social aspect of it (as opposed to just going for runs on your own)
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    i shattered my tibia when i was eighteen and the bone has a plate on top. couple that with my joints naturally hyper extending and ive got a virtually ruptured patella tendon which is constantly aggrevated by the movement of my knee.

    that has put a lot of stress on the other tendons and im going under the knife to have tendon decompression surgery a bit of an arthroscopy and the cartlidge tended too.

    its actually the consulting surgeon and physio team who have warned me that if i continue to play rugby post surgery then i will be having operations every few months and i will be putting my ability to walk at risk.
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    I gave up baseball after i needed ankle surgery on both feet, now i have arthritis problems in both feet.... I stopped playing after the age of 24. It was definitely game over when i shattered my nose taking a hot ball in the face at 2nd base... Now i just hike as much as my feet let me!

    hiking is my off season activity ive only jsut got back from Morroco and the atlas mountains my main concern and request for advice is... what the hell can i do with myself when all my friends are playing Rugby at the weekends?
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
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    Well at 23/24 dont get into coaching. It will only drive you insane. I stopped playing Hurling last year, and forced myself just not to go and watch them etc. Came back this year as a coach, now I still miss it, but at 27 my body knows its well past it.

    Like breaking up, clean break, walk away, come back later.

    GO out with the work crowd etc.
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    thats sounds advice, thanks very much, at least to deal with the biterness of stopping,

    if i go and watch straight away it will just tease me!
  • pensierobello
    pensierobello Posts: 285 Member
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    Hi T, what about swimming or cycling? Are you a fan? If you like it, it's actually great to do with other people - you could join a tri group, you could do the running if you're careful, or just stick with the cycling and swimming. I go on swimming holidays with SwimTrek and love open water swimming with others - join the Open Water Swimming group on Facebook.
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
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    i have dont a couple of tri's and they are currently my best option. the straight line running is fine, its only 2 weeks ago i had my best 5k time.

    maybe i should have put that,

    its just ive recently moved and in setting up my new life ive only met rugby players. so literally every single person i know will be at rugby 3 days a week.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    That's really tough.
    I lost one of my cruciate ligaments and a meniscus at age 31 and remember how frustrating it was having to give up contact sports and limit running.

    I did manage to play squash to a highish level for 10 years afterwards (with a really good specialist knee brace) but my injuries are very different to yours. I would say that my prognosis at the time was far too conservative. Basically I was told to accept a level of disability and expect knee replacement by 50 - neither of these things happened!

    My current main activity is cycling (very controlled movement, especially with proper cycling shoes, no impact) which also helps enormously with quad strength and hence knee stability. Your medics will have to guide you if cycling is suitable for you with your patella issues.

    Rugby coaching or refereeing would be great ways to stay involved.
    Best of luck.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Can you take up a martial art? many of them are not leg work heavy and I know from my TKD classes that the instructors, once aware of an injury, will work with it... it's very social and I love it...
  • Eastern_Echo23
    Eastern_Echo23 Posts: 198 Member
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    I gave up baseball after i needed ankle surgery on both feet, now i have arthritis problems in both feet.... I stopped playing after the age of 24. It was definitely game over when i shattered my nose taking a hot ball in the face at 2nd base... Now i just hike as much as my feet let me!

    hiking is my off season activity ive only jsut got back from Morroco and the atlas mountains my main concern and request for advice is... what the hell can i do with myself when all my friends are playing Rugby at the weekends?

    I usually watch my friends play baseball during the season... sometimes my coach will let me step in and take a few swings... I played on the Unofficial university Co-ED league in Ann Arbor as well as a local church league. The church league is just a bunch of old guys who get together and play.. So i am always welcome there...

    I also go for long walks on light trails. There is a huge natural park near where I live...Some of the trails are from roman days :D... that is my vice. Spectate and Do what your body can handle
  • lilmissmanx
    lilmissmanx Posts: 81 Member
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    I play rugby and I also crossfit. It certainly has a social element that you're looking for, combined with weightlifting & other gym stuff. And you'll be supervised by coaches, who you can discuss your knee issues with to see what exercises should be scaled or modified to suit you. And if you're into the competitive side of things there are competitions to take part in.
  • Inkratlet
    Inkratlet Posts: 613 Member
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    Crossfit.

    100% social and everything is scalable to work around your injury. Most Crossfit gyms let you do a free taster session, so you can give it a try before believing the bad press (there is good press too, but negativity always stands out more)

    I have knee issues - nowhere near as bad as yours - but there isn't anything I can't do because of my knees. I just have to be a bit careful.

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