During this session, I was pitchside during the rugby game for 2 hours where I had to go onto the pitch for many different treatments. The first treatment that I had to do was stretching of the calf muscle, the player was complaining of cramp in the leg and wanted their calf stretched and the player came off to have it quickly massaged on pitchside before returning to play, deep heat was also applied to help keep the muscles warm after treatment. The second was a knock to the head which required the player to be taken off due to the first aid that was needed. This player had a laceration to the nose and lip that could not be treated other than immediate first aid as it would require stitches gauze and bandages were applied as well and vaseline to help stop bleeding, compress the area and keep the wound clean so the player could get to the hospital to seek further medical attention. 

The next injury that occurred was a laceration to the face just under the eye that needed to be cleaned and vaseline applied to help stop the bleeding. 

The final treatment of the game was for a head injury, the player went down and was not moving what seemed as if he was unconscious. loss of consciousness was only for a short time as by the time I had got to the player they had regained consciousness and complained of pain down the neck and back as well as blurred vision. Our emergency protocol then came into place the players head was secured in C-spine position and they didn’t move the team took orders to phone an ambulance and wait for them at the end of the road, to bring coats and covers to keep the player warm and we did not move from this position until the paramedics arrived and took over. The player went off to the hospital.

Areas for improvement:

Although working very well together as a team during the emergency situation, there was no official protocol in place, who phones the ambulance, who waits for the ambulance to arrive, who takes the lead, etc. Everything was done quickly and efficiently with the sports therapy staff and the medical professionals on the team and fans, however, for future situations, a plan should be written out to ensure who is in charge and who has what responsibilities depending on who is there before each game. 

Returning to reflections at a later date:

The first player played off the pitch at the half time complaining of the “cramp” in their calf not going away and the pain continued to increase. This player came in for an injury assessment after a few days and is presenting as a muscle tear in the calf and the player has been told to see my supervisor to assess the injury further. 

The player with the lacerations to the nose and lip went to the hospital and had stitches in both areas, the player is now healing. 

The final player went off to hospital in the ambulance, however, he has had no serious injuries to the neck and back whereas, they have been diagnosed with a concussion and have a minimum of 21 days away from the sport before beginning their return to the player after clearance from the doctor.