February 07, 2022
Everything left on the field by Māori players
An expert in sports biomechanics is alarmed at the level of injury among former Māori and Pasifika rugby payers.
Patria Hume, a professor of human performance at AUT, says players have got stronger and faster over the years resulting in more injuries.
A survey of retired players found a third of those who reported ongoing injuries were Māori or Pasifika combined.
She says 28 per cent of players had injuries that prevented them from participating in sport permanently, 72 per cent of elite players and 46 per cent of community rugby players had had sports-related surgery.
Half of the injured players ended up with osteoarthritis, and 98 per cent of players reported having a concussion during their playing years.
“We need to somehow reduce the risk of those severe injuries because when we’re enjoying playing sport when we’re younger we also need to consider we have a lot of life left with our whānau after that competitive sport,” she says.
Professor Hume says iwi and community-led and whānau-centred approaches may be the answer to injury prevention.