Rugby is an intermittent and high-intensity sport with a significant demand for strength and endurance, often involving a high risk of injuries due to the loads and collisions that occur, among other factors. In this article, we describe a case study on monitoring a bone edema injury suffered by a player from the German rugby team. Through two thermographic assessments and a video provided by the player, we will examine the details of the injury, its progression, and how thermography can provide objective data on the return to competition.
The injury in question occurred during a lineout in a match on January 14, 2018. After the jump, he landed on his right heel inappropriately. Subsequent medical tests revealed details about the extent of the injury: a ligament injury in his right ankle and a bone contusion on the outer face of his calcaneus. After the injury, two thermographic assessments were conducted:
The video where Jarrod's injury occurs, although recorded from a screen, is an essential tool for documenting the injury and its progress. The outer right heel, where the impact was centered, showed a significant elevation in the first thermographic assessment (0.93ºC). However, in just two weeks, this inflammation drastically reduced to almost symmetrical values (-0.02ºC).
As seen in studies such as Castonguay and Dover (2023) or Haluzan et al. (2015), bone tissue reacts significantly when damaged, especially in cases of bone fracture.
Representation of the evolution of bone fractures described by Castonguay y Dover (2023). Adapted by ThermoHuman
This case study, however, highlights a relevant difference: even though similar hyperthermic asymmetry values are observed in a bone fracture just one week after the injury (0.93ºC), the bone hematoma shows a recovery to symmetrical values in less time (barely 3 weeks after the injury). On the other hand, in fractures, it is common to maintain hyperthermia above 1ºC even 5 weeks after the fracture, as demonstrated in another case study of a stress fracture in a footbal player).
It is another example of the value that thermography and ThermoHuman software can bring to monitoring an injury from a physiological and functional perspective.
Jarrod Saul's case is a valuable example of the importance of precise and detailed monitoring of a bone contusion injury in a rugby player. We can conclude the following:
Castonguay, T., & Dover, G. (2023). Infrared Thermography-A Novel Tool for Monitoring Fracture Healing: A Critically Appraised Topic With Evidence-Based Recommendations for Clinical Practice. Journal of sport rehabilitation, 32(7), 834–839. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2022-0390
Haluzan, D., Davila, S., Antabak, A., Dobric, I., Stipic, J., Augustin, G., Ehrenfreund, T., & Prlic, I. (2015). Thermal changes during healing of distal radius fractures-Preliminary findings. Injury, 46 Suppl 6, S103–S106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2015.10.046