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Physio Corner Ep. 2: Latrell Mitchell’s Back Injury Explained
9 Plays3 months ago
Gary kicks off Physio Corner with a deep dive into Latrell Mitchell’s back injury — a pinched nerve that’s been the talk of the NRL. From how it impacts his footy to what the rehab looks like, Gary breaks it all down in a way every fan can understand.
This 5-minute pod covers:
- 🏉 How a pinched nerve affects performance on the field
- 😣 Latrell’s symptoms and what they mean for his game
- 🛠️ Rehab insights and the road to recovery
- ⏱️ Realistic return-to-play timeline
Oh, and did we mention Gary’s delivering this while on his honeymoon in Greece? 🇬🇷🍷 Big commitment to the pod, big love for the listeners.
🎧 Tune in now and get smarter about the game you love:
👉 https://linktr.ee/tacklesandtinnies
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Transcript
Introduction & Injury Overview
00:00:00
Tackles and Tinnies
Welcome back to Physio Corner, the podcast that breaks down athletes' injuries and the road to recovery. As a physio, we see an athlete of Latrell Mitchell's calibre go down, especially with a back issue. It raises a lot of questions about the nature of the injury.
00:00:16
Tackles and Tinnies
and There have been a few reports over the last couple of days that Latrell has been ruled out the Indigenous round with a pinched nerve.
00:00:27
Tackles and Tinnies
It's a tough blow, especially since he's only just returned from a quad injury. So I wanna break down what a pinched nerve really means in a sporting context.
Understanding Pinched Nerves
00:00:36
Tackles and Tinnies
It sounds bad, a pinched nerve, but it's often used to describe the nerve irritation or compression of the vertebra or the discs in the lower back.
00:00:48
Tackles and Tinnies
Sometimes it can cause things like symptoms like pain, numbness, tingling, any weakness down the leg.
Impact of Rugby on Spinal Health
00:00:55
Tackles and Tinnies
Because rugby league, it's such a high impact tackle, like tackling and then explosive movements, the spine's under a lot of constant stress. So that's likely some factors that may have contributed to Latrell Mitchell's injury.
Recovery Timeline for Latrell Mitchell
00:01:10
Tackles and Tinnies
Generally, the pathophysiology, the lower back's going to be a bit more spasmy. It's going to be a bit tender, bit sore to touch. If Latrell was to bend or extend his back, it might be a bit sore.
00:01:24
Tackles and Tinnies
Generally, in terms of prognosis, this the medical staff at the Rabideaus think that he'll be back within the week, which is great news. yeah Generally, if I see this in clinic, it'll be about four to five weeks.
00:01:38
Tackles and Tinnies
The symptoms of that i just mentioned before generally start to get better up quite quickly. um
Recovery Process & Techniques
00:01:46
Tackles and Tinnies
I guess what the medical staff and what coach Wayne Bennett will be thinking is, ah ah is he back to a hundred percent? Is he being able to run sprint, be explosive and perform at a higher level in the NRL?
00:02:01
Tackles and Tinnies
So next step, so let's break it down into a few different steps, thinking about it from a physiotherapy protocol. So step number one would be symptom resolution. So ensuring that the pain and nerve related symptoms are completely gone.
00:02:16
Tackles and Tinnies
So generally that would take a ah couple of days to reduce that muscle spasm. A slow graded return to training. So reintroducing movements, so low impact exercises.
00:02:28
Tackles and Tinnies
Then gradually progressing to those rugby specific drills, running shapes, stepping those types of movements, sprinting as well, change of direction. Then moving on to strength and conditioning.
00:02:40
Tackles and Tinnies
So a big focus would be on core stability and strengthening muscles that support the spines, like your glutes, your core, a major emphasis to prevent re-injury.
Ensuring Full Recovery & Mental Preparedness
00:02:50
Tackles and Tinnies
And then step number four would be technique refinement, so working with coaches and physios to ensure that the tackling technique is great, especially in contact and then post-contact and to be as efficient and as safe as possible.
00:03:08
Tackles and Tinnies
Considering mentally as well, Luttrell has had a few injury setbacks, and which can be incredibly frustrating for a player. So it's important that his return is carefully managed to build his confidence back up and that he doesn't rush rush to back rush to get back in too soon.
00:03:27
Tackles and Tinnies
The fact that the team's hopeful for a return next week is a positive sign, but it's a delicate balance between rushing him back and then ensuring that he's fully fit to avoid more serious concerns.
00:03:39
Tackles and Tinnies
But that's all another so episode for Physio Corner, and thank you for tuning in.
00:03:46
Tackles and Tinnies
you want to replay it, please?