ABSTRACT
Kevin Young and Philip White know sports injury. As former rugby and soccer players at English and Canadian schools and universities with subsequent experiences in jockdom, both authors have had their fill of minor and major injuries, rehabilitation programs, and lasting aches and pains. For over a decade, Kevin Young has suffered from a lower back problem (two disc “bulges”) that began when he played university rugby in Canada, and which has familiarized him with the world of anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. Among other injuries, he has also experienced two broken fingers, three broken noses, a broken ankle, and ligamental damage to both knees. White’s athletic career, which includes top level rugby on both sides of the Atlantic and professional soccer in Canada, has also been punctuated by numerous injuries including two broken fingers, cracked ribs, chipped teeth, torn hamstrings, four concussions (including two “overnighters”), three MCL (knee) injuries, and repeated separated shoulders. At the age of 42, his hips were described by a surgeon as “like those of a 65-year-old.” At the time of writing, chondromalacia (irritation of the undersurface of the kneecap) prevents Kevin Young from jogging as far as he would like, and Philip White’s daily runs have had to be suspended because of recurrent leg cramps.
