How tough is a tackle?
Rugby Union is a full-contact team sport that involves collisions between players and so there is some risk of injury.
Our research is focused on injury prevention and exploring ways to make the game safer and enjoyable for players at all levels.
The rugby tackle is an open and unpredictable event in which the tackler engages with the ball carrier in an attempt to bring him/her to the ground.
To understand the physical loads being experienced by players, we ask participants to perform rugby tackles while we measure their body movements with motion capture technology, the forces acting at the shoulders and feet, and the amount of neural activity in their trunk and neck muscles.
We use a ‘musculoskeletal model’ to estimate the internal stresses on structures of the spine and neck during different types of tackles, and to generate “What If…?” computer simulations to understand mechanisms of spinal injury.
Dr Elena Seminati, Department for Health
Dr Dario Cazzola, Department for Health
Dr Ezio Preatoni, Department for Health
Dr Grant Trewartha, Department for Health
How tough is a tackle?
Rugby Union is a full-contact team sport that involves collisions between players and so there is some risk of injury.
Our research is focused on injury prevention and exploring ways to make the game safer and enjoyable for players at all levels.
The rugby tackle is an open and unpredictable event in which the tackler engages with the ball carrier in an attempt to bring him/her to the ground.
To understand the physical loads being experienced by players, we ask participants to perform rugby tackles while we measure their body movements with motion capture technology, the forces acting at the shoulders and feet, and the amount of neural activity in their trunk and neck muscles.
We use a ‘musculoskeletal model’ to estimate the internal stresses on structures of the spine and neck during different types of tackles, and to generate “What If…?” computer simulations to understand mechanisms of spinal injury.
Dr Elena Seminati, Department for Health
Dr Dario Cazzola, Department for Health
Dr Ezio Preatoni, Department for Health
Dr Grant Trewartha, Department for Health