‘’It was the end of the world” : The lifeworld of elite male rugby union players living with injury : An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: Professional rugby is an aggressive sport. Consequently, injuries are an inevitable part of a rugby player’s career. It is therefore crucial for sports medicine professionals to understand the subjective experience of injured athletes in order to optimize their care. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to take a lifeworld perspective to explore how living with injury was meaningful to professional rugby players. Methods: A purposive sample of five participants were recruited and data collection undertaken via semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology to develop the themes. …