Rachel Lund: The rugby star tackling taboos and researching female health

Rachel Lund's rugby journey began at the age of six when she first stepped onto the field for Malton & Norton RUFC in North Yorkshire. Little did she know that this early start would pave the way for a remarkable career that transcends the boundaries of sports into the realm of healthcare advocacy.

Graduating from the University of Worcester with a degree in Sports Therapy in 2013, Lund wasted no time in making her mark in the rugby world. Joining Worcester Ladies in the Premiership, she showcased her skills as a formidable player, earning recognition both nationally and internationally.

In the 2014-15 season, Lund's talent propelled her to represent England U20s at fullback. Subsequently, she received the coveted England Senior cap during a tour in Canada in 2015 and was selected as an EPS player for the 2015-16 season, solidifying her position as a top-tier athlete.

Transitioning seamlessly from player to professional, Lund embarked on a full-time role as an Academy Sports Therapist at Hartpury College after completing her studies. This move led her to sign with Gloucester-Hartpury in 2017, where she continues to excel on the field while pursuing her passion for physiotherapy.

Currently undertaking a Master’s in Physiotherapy, Lund embodies the epitome of dedication as she balances her academic pursuits with her rugby commitments at Gloucester-Hartpury.

Yet, her contributions extend far beyond the pitch as she devotes herself to a full-time role as an NHS physiotherapist, advocating for female health both on and off the field. She spoke to RugbyPass about her experiences of balancing rugby life and research studies.

“I think they kind of come hand in hand really in terms of my professional background and, initially being a sports therapist and then more recently a physio. A lot of girls at the club are often asking questions and, obviously not throwing out any medical advice at people but, in terms of trying to promote more conversation and advocate for these girls, players and fellow teammates to go and get help or support.

“What I do professionally really compliments what I do in a sporting context and I think it's brilliant. I do what I do professionally because I really like helping people and my teammates and being able to spread education and raise awareness is great."

Lund’s commitment to female health culminated in her groundbreaking research on stress urinary incontinence in female rugby players. Motivated by the lack of attention given to women's health issues in sports, she set out to address the silence surrounding this crucial topic.

“It was interesting to me because looking back on it I didn’t necessarily think I was going to do the research in female rugby but, thinking about it I sit in quite a unique position as a player myself.

“When I got the idea of looking into this I became really motivated because I've played in the league for over ten years now. I’ve had a lot of fellow teammates be quite open, whether it happens in a training session or a gym session they just kind of come out with it and that happened to quite a few players.

“I know that many people may potentially find it quite an embarrassing or taboo subject that actually showed me how many people there are who aren't confident enough to speak out about this subject in a more public sphere.

“I imagined my hypothesis of it was that it was actually going to be quite a prevalent issue within the league in that demographic of people, I kind of seized the opportunity as player to utilise the access I had to that kind of population, but also I had a personal interest in it as one of the demographics if you will in terms of elite female rugby players within England.”

Through an anonymous online survey, Lund gathered responses from 112 female rugby players, revealing a startling statistic; 62.5% of respondents reported experiencing stress incontinence. This finding underscored the urgent need for awareness and support within the rugby community.

“I was really thankful for the response I got with the online questionnaire and survey. Of the 112, 62.5% reported that they actually experienced stress incontinence.

“If you actually work out the maths in terms of how many players in the league there are and how many actually responded to my questionnaire it's approximately 17 or at least 17.5% of the league experience stress incontinence. Which is quite a high proportion for a league sport in terms of the UK.

“I wanted to address how much of a problem it was but also the knowledge people had around this subject and obviously the impact it had on them. It definitely was or is a problem and a lot of them didn't understand why it happened.

“They had no knowledge as to why it happened and just over half of them never actually discussed the topic itself. Many reported it had quite a negative impact on them. It was super interesting to research and like I say I’m quite proud of it.

“I’m in the process of trying to get it published as a research article. I’m happy about the research itself, it's very meaningful and I think the findings are interesting and impactful.”

Moreover, Lund's research shed light on the detrimental impact of stress incontinence on players' physical and psychological well-being. Many players confessed to altering their hydration and training routines, illustrating the profound repercussions of untreated health issues on athletic performance.

Armed with her findings, Lund aims to initiate a paradigm shift in the sports landscape by disseminating her research to women's rugby clubs. By fostering understanding and advocating for better facilities and support systems, she hopes to effect positive change and empower female athletes to prioritise their health.

“I knew a few players who were open about it but, when I asked that question to the survey the majority of people didn't actually discuss it with anybody and they were least likely to actually discuss it with a physiotherapist team doctor, people with expertise etc.

“To be able to help and signpost them to the relevant help is something I want to do. What I think the biggest thing that is associated with this is it's just something that happens and, it's something that you can't do anything about. What I want to keep in mind and get across in this study is that there are things you can do.

“Lots of people said it had a negative impact on them. Regarding their impact on the sport themselves, some people were actually drinking less water which from a performance point of view is significant.

“Some people weren’t lifting as heavy in the gym and overall, people generally thought it was having a negative impact. I think that's significant when you talk about elite sport and semi-professional.

“Some of those girls are professional athletes and I think that we talk about those one percenters in your sport in your field and I think with something like this I'm fairly confident that something like this is going to naturally have quite an impact on you, from what my research suggested. From some of the questions I asked it did seem to have a fairly big impact on the players.”

Beyond the immediate impact on the rugby community, Lund’s research serves as a catalyst for broader conversations about gender inequality in healthcare research. Through her work, she strives to elevate the visibility of female health issues and challenge the prevailing norms that prioritise male-centric research.

“I think generally one of the easiest things that has already happened from when I was collecting the data again, being fortunate enough as a player to have connections. The biggest thing I've found already is the fact that it raises awareness of the subject.

“When I was collecting this data, this time last year, the number of girls that used to come up to me after a game or the players I played against would come up to me asking for a chat about it saying ‘You’re the girl that's looking into stress incontinence in sport, it's something I never knew other people experienced.’

“They just reached out and said how grateful they were. I think generally raising awareness of it is amazing but, more broadly just raising awareness of female health research and the fact that there's a massive inequality in the research in terms of male vs female health research.”

Lund is not only a formidable athlete but also a compassionate advocate for female health. As she continues to break barriers and tackle taboos, her journey exemplifies the transformative power of sports in driving meaningful change.