Abstract
PURPOSE: Rugby-7s, an Olympic collision sport, is played with a high incidence of injury. U.S collegiate Rugby-7s, due to its club status, has a lack of data to support the development of prevention protocols. METHODS: This is a prospective epidemiology study using the Rugby Injury Survey & Evaluation (RISE) Report methodology to capture injury rates (per 1000 player-hour (ph)). USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby-7s Championship Invitational (1786 athletes) over 2012, 2014-2016 competitive divisions (championships men and women, men’s collegiate, and men’s small colleges) were evaluated for match injuries. RESULTS: Injuries overall were found at 139.4/1000ph (n=151) (time-loss 31.4/1000ph, n=34; medical attention 108.0/1000ph, n=130; <0.001). Backs (38.9/1000ph) had higher rates of time-loss injuries than forwards (17.3/1000ph; RR: 2.2, P=0.040). Mean severity of injuries were 75.7 days (backs 63.7 days; forwards 127.5 days; P=0.078). Injuries overall were acute (87%) and occurred during the tackle (72%) and running/open play (17% overall; from 13% in 2012, 22% in 2014, 43% in 2015, 9% in 2016). Shoulder tackles led to more injuries than other tackle types (65%; RR: 1.9). Recurrent injuries were observed at 29% of all injuries (39.8/1000ph). Most common time-loss injuries were concussions (26%) and lower extremity ligament injuries (50%). Overall head/neck injuries occurred at high proportions (29%; RR: 2.62), including concussions at 12% of all injuries (16.7/1000ph; RR: 1.3 P=0.148). CONCLUSIONS: One concern with the expansion of U.S. Rugby-7s was the increasing risk of head and neck injuries in collegiate Rugby-7s between 2012 and 2014, 2015 and 2016 (RR: 2.17, 4.7, 3.3, respectively). Elevated head/neck injury rates in the current study have been found to be higher than the literature in international elite males Rugby-7s (5%) and U-20 Rugby-15s (12%). The largest injury increase was seen in running/open play, possibly due to the variability of training regimens among programs. Developing institutional support as other collegiate sanctioned sports can help guide instruction on tackling, and a standardized conditioning program, which may decrease injury rates at the collegiate playing level.
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