Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Shoulder Padding and Shoulder Injury in Rugby Union

Angus Hughes,Heather Driscoll,Matt Carré

doi:10.1007/s42978-021-00140-2

Abstract

PurposeTo develop an understanding of the role of shoulder padding in rugby union by investigating player perceptions and attitudes towards shoulder padding and extending research into shoulder injuries in rugby.MethodsAn online survey was distributed to past and current rugby players over 13 years old in 2018. Questions related to the participants’ demographic, attitudes to shoulder padding and shoulder injury history.ResultsSix hundred and sixteen rugby players responded to the survey; 66.1% of respondents had worn shoulder padding at some point. The age group 24–29 years old (∆R2 = 0.03, B = − 0.53, P = 0.015) had an inverse association with padding effectiveness while playing experience groups 1–2 years (∆R2 = 0.03, B = 0.8, P = 0.032), 3–5 years (∆R2 = 0.03, B = 0.70, P = 0.002) and 6–9 years (∆R2 = 0.03, B = 0.41, P = 0) had a positive association. There are 37.1% of respondents considering shoulder padding to be effective at preventing cuts and abrasions with 21.9% finding it very effective; 50.3% considered it to be effective or very effective (9.7%) at preventing contusion; 45.5% wore padding for injury prevention, while 19.2% wore padding to protect from reoccurring injury. Sprain/ligament damage (57.5%) and bruising (55.5%) were the most commonly reported injuries.ConclusionsThe primary reason for wearing shoulder padding was as a means of injury prevention. Research should focus on quantifying the injury preventive capabilities of shoulder padding. Bruising, cuts and abrasion injuries to the shoulder are prevalent presenting new findings that these injuries are underreported.

Highlights

Rugby union is a collision sport, resulting in a relatively high injury rate of 90.1 per 1000 player match hours (PMH) in elite rugby [7], this is lower in the amateur game with 46.8 injuries per 1000 PMH [21]
The epidemiology of shoulder injury in rugby union has been reported [16] with common injuries including acromioclavicular joint injury (3.7 per 1000 PMH), Dislocations (1.8 per 1000 PMH) and Hematomas/Bruising (2.1 per 1000 PMH)
It would be very exploratory to state a reason for this, it is suggested male rugby players are at their peak muscle mass in the 24–29 age group, may feel they do not need shoulder padding as a result [8]

Summary

Introduction

Rugby union is a collision sport, resulting in a relatively high injury rate of 90.1 per 1000 player match hours (PMH) in elite rugby [7], this is lower in the amateur game with 46.8 injuries per 1000 PMH [21]. This can be compared with soccer (64.4 per 1000 PMH) and tennis (31.1 per 1000 PMH) [14]. The definition of injury used in this research (24 + hour time loss from all participation) creates suspicion that less severe injuries including Bruising, Cuts and Abrasions are under reported

Methods

Results

Conclusion