Getting stitches is never fun. And sometimes, it interferes with your daily life, especially if you’re active. So if you’re a rugby player, you’re probably wondering if you can play with stitches.
You cannot play rugby or any other contact sport when you have stitches. This ensures that your wound has enough time to heal because playing rugby could hinder the healing process. However, if a physician clears it, there are some instances where a player can play rugby with stiches.
If you’re a serious rugby player with stitches, you are probably anxious to return to the field. Let’s examine when it’s safe for you to return to the area.
Why You Should Avoid Rugby If You Have Stitches
Doctors recommend that people with stitches avoid all contact sports like rugby until the stitches are removed or dissolved. The dirt on the field can also cause the wound to get infected. Symptoms of an infection, according to NHS, are the following:
- Swelling
- Increased redness around the wound
- Pus or bleeding from the wound
- The wound feels warm
- A foul smell from the wound
- Increasing pain
- A high temperature
- Swollen glands
How Long Before You Can Play Rugby Again?
The duration of stitches depends on the type of wound you have. For example, if you received stitches on your head, you could return to a doctor or nurse after three to five days.
If you receive stitches on one or more of your joints, it will take ten to 14 days. Suppose you received stitches on any other part of your body. In that case, you could usually return to a doctor or nurse after seven to ten days.
You do not need to visit a doctor or nurse if you have dissolvable stitches. Depending on the wound, it usually takes about one to two weeks for stitches to dissolve (some can even take weeks to months). As a rule of thumb, most patients can resume their normal daily activities after two to three weeks of receiving stitches.
What If You Have To Play
If you feel you cannot miss a rugby game and have to play, you can experiment with your stitches, but it is not advised.
Before you play with stitches, consult your medical practitioner to get the okay. If your doctor informs you it’s not safe to play, put your health first and skip rugby for a few days.
Only play rugby with stitches if your doctor gives the okay. Doctors may allow you to return to the field after stitching a facial laceration if the wound is adequately covered and the player knows the risk of infection and possible further damage.
So if you play with stitches, know that the wound can split open, and there is a considerable risk of infection. This means that you will need to get re-stitched and can get an infection.
Most people reading this will be purey amateur players playing for fun and the temptation will be to not seek proper advice and to just play anyway. Whilst you may get away with this and you’ll score some man points at the club the risk really isn’t worth it.
A stitched up wound that gets ripped open again is likely to be made much worse by a fresh knock and the subsequent recovery period could be even longer.
My personal advice would be to ive the injury proper time to heal. Don’t be misled by all the professional rugby players playingwith stitches on television. They have access to fist class medical care and attention 24 hours day and night.
In short is a game of recreational rugby really worth risking your health for?
Conclusion
You must be careful after receiving stitches to allow the wound to heal fully. Usually, you can’t play rugby with stitches since the possibility of worsening the injury and getting an infection is high.
It’s better to wait two to three weeks until the stitches are out and your wound is fully healed. If you’re unsure, ask your medical practitioner whether it is safe to play.
References
The Management of Facial Injuries in Rugby – British Journal of Sports Medicine
Image Credits
Fractured nose with haemorrhage. Rls, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
