Alright, let’s talk about this rugby injury mess. It still gives me a twinge just thinking about it, honestly.
How it Happened
It was a Saturday afternoon game, nothing special, really. Muddy pitch, typical stuff. We were deep in their half, pushing hard. I got the ball, saw a gap, or thought I saw one anyway. Put my head down, started pumping the legs. Next thing I know, WHAM. Two guys hit me at once, one high, one low. Classic sandwich tackle. Heard a weird pop in my shoulder as I went down. Didn’t hurt immediately, more of a shock, you know? But trying to get up? Yeah, that wasn’t happening. The shoulder just felt… wrong. Loose. The lads helped me off, felt like a right idiot hobbling to the sideline.
The Waiting Game and The News
Sat on the bench with ice, thinking maybe it’s just a stinger, it’ll be fine by Monday. Wishful thinking. By the evening, it was throbbing like mad. Couldn’t lift my arm to even grab a beer. Monday morning, went straight to the physio my club uses. He poked around, moved my arm a bit – ouch – and said, “Yeah, that doesn’t look good.” Sent me for scans. Waiting for those results felt like forever. Turned out I’d properly done my AC joint. Not a complete tear, thankfully, but bad enough. The doc basically said, “You’re done for the season, mate.” Gutted doesn’t even cover it.
The Long Road Back
Recovery was just… tedious. Seriously boring. It wasn’t just about not playing rugby; it affected everything. Simple stuff became a mission:
- Putting on a t-shirt.
- Driving.
- Even sleeping was uncomfortable for weeks.
Then came the rehab exercises. Felt like I spent half my life doing these tiny, annoying movements with rubber bands. Little pulses, small rotations… over and over. Progress was slow. Some days felt okay, others felt like I’d gone backwards. It was frustrating as hell. You see the team playing, training, having a laugh, and you’re stuck doing wall push-ups that a toddler could manage. Mentally, that was tough. Had to really force myself to stick with the physio plan and not rush things, which isn’t easy when all you want is to get back out there.
Where I’m At Now
Took a good few months, longer than I expected, to feel anywhere near normal. Got back to training eventually, but I was hesitant, you know? That first proper contact session back, I was definitely thinking about the shoulder. It’s okay now, mostly. Maybe gets a bit stiff sometimes, especially in the cold. And I’m probably a bit more cautious going into contact now, maybe pull out of a tackle I wouldn’t have thought twice about before. Guess that’s just how it goes. It taught me a lesson about patience, that’s for sure. And maybe about listening to my body a bit more. Still love the game, but yeah, that injury was a proper wake-up call.
