Training Injury Incidence Research Articles

Injury incidence and characteristics in South African school first team rugby: A case study

Background: Despite its apparent popularity, participation in the sport of rugby union is accompanied by a significant risk of injury. Concerned parties have recently questioned whether this risk is acceptable within school populations. This is difficult to assess within the South African schools’ population as no recent longitudinal injury studies exist.Objectives: To determine the training habits, rugby-related exposure and injury risk within a population of South African high school first team rugby players.Methods: Training and match exposure in both school and provincial competition were examined and the resultant injuries were longitudinally observed for the duration of a South African high school rugby season.Results: Match (79, 95%CI 52-105 injuries/1 000 h) and training (7, 95%CI 3-11 injuries /1000h) injury incidences were demonstrated to be greater than previously reported incidences in similar populations in England and Ireland. Weeks where players were exposed to both school and provincial competition (34, 95%CI 19-49 injuries /1 000 h) had significantly (p<0.05) greater injury incidences than during school competition alone (19, 95%CI 12-26 injuries /1 000 h).Conclusion: The injury risk demonstrated was greater than expected and represents reasons for concern. Possible reasons for the high injury incidence recorded may be the frequency of games played within the season, and the overlap of school and provincial competitions. It should be noted that these results were taken from one school over one season and might not be representative of the incidence of school rugby injuries overall. However, this research demonstrates the need for a multischool longitudinal study within South African schools rugby to determine the overall risk.

Incidence of injury and illness in South African professional male soccer players: a prospective cohort study.

Medical illnesses and sports-related injuries both have an effect on athlete health and performance. Epidemiology of injury and illness has been extensively researched during international soccer tournaments and the European soccer season. Reports on injury location and severity differ across geographical regions, and there is limited information on injury epidemiology in African soccer leagues. No studies have investigated the illness burden in soccer in Africa. This was a prospective cohort study involving two soccer teams over the 10-month duration of the 2015/16 Premier Soccer League in South Africa. Team medical staff recorded daily soccer exposure, illness and injuries. Team-based match and training exposure was calculated and used to determine injury and illness incidence and burden over the soccer season. Overall injury incidence was 2.2/1000 hours, with match injury incidence of 24.8/1000 hours and training injury incidence of 0.9/1000 hours. Time loss injuries accounted for 33 of the 44 injuries recorded. The most common time loss injury location was the knee (14 injuries, 42%). There were 7 minimal, 4 mild, 12 moderate and 10 severe injuries. Sprain/ligament injury (8 injuries) was the most common type, followed by meniscus/cartilage injury (7 injuries). Eleven illnesses were reported during the season, with an incidence of 0.7/1000 player days, and most were minimal in severity (8/11). The illness burden was 1.7/1000 player days. The respiratory (46%) and gastrointestinal (36%) systems were most commonly affected. The incidence of injury was comparable with data reported internationally and mirrors the increased risk of injury during matches versus training. The nature of injury differed in that the knee was more frequently affected than the ankle or thigh, joint injuries were more common than muscle injuries, and there was a larger proportion of severe injuries. The illness burden was very low.

TRAINING TRENDS AND INJURY INCIDENCES AMONG IRISH DISTANCE RUNNERS

BackgroundTo date, research investigating the training habits and practice of resistance training among elite distance runners as well as training factors relating to injury, has been sparse.ObjectiveTo investigate the typical...

Risk factors that predict severe injuries in university rugby sevens players.

To investigate injury incidence and the influence of physical fitness parameters on the risk of severe injuries in players on rugby sevens university teams. Prospective cohort study. Rugby players from three universities (N=104; 90M:14F; 20.6±1.9years) were recruited before the beginning of the season. Players underwent pre-season assessments of power, strength, speed, agility, endurance, stability, and flexibility. Throughout the season, rugby-related injury and exposure data were collected. Potential predictor variables were analyzed using Cox proportional regression model to identify risk factors associated with severe injuries (time loss>28days). Thirty-one injuries occurred during the rugby season. The match and training injury incidence rates were 59.3 injuries and 3.3 injuries per 1000 player-hours, respectively. Lower limb injuries were most common and most severe. The ankle joint was the most prevalent site of injury, and ligamentous injury was most common (48.4%). Nine severe injuries were sustained resulting in an average time loss of 51.3±14.6days. Female (hazard ratio [HR]=8.35; 95% confidence intervals [CI]=2.01-34.8), slower (HR=3.51; 95% CI=1.17-10.5), and less agile (HR=2.22; 95% CI=1.26-3.92) players as well as those with hip flexors tightness (HR=1.12; 95% CI=1.00-1.25) were at significantly greater risk for sustaining severe injuries. Limited studies are available on risk factors associated with amateur rugby players in the Sevens version. The development of gender-specific injury prevention measures that emphasize speed and agility training, and improve hip flexor extensibility may be important to reduce the risk of severe injuries.

Injury incidence and characteristics in South African school first team rugby: A case study

Background: Despite its apparent popularity, participation in the sport of rugby union is accompanied by a significant risk of injury. Concerned parties have recently questioned whether this risk is acceptable within school populations. This is difficult to assess within the South African schools’ population as no recent longitudinal injury studies exist.Objectives: To determine the training habits, rugby-related exposure and injury risk within a population of South African high school first team rugby players.Methods: Training and match exposure in both school and provincial competition were examined and the resultant injuries were longitudinally observed for the duration of a South African high school rugby season.Results: Match (79, 95%CI 52-105 injuries/1 000 h) and training (7, 95%CI 3-11 injuries /1000h) injury incidences were demonstrated to be greater than previously reported incidences in similar populations in England and Ireland. Weeks where players were exposed to both school and provincial competition (34, 95%CI 19-49 injuries /1 000 h) had significantly (p<0.05) greater injury incidences than during school competition alone (19, 95%CI 12-26 injuries /1 000 h).Conclusion: The injury risk demonstrated was greater than expected and represents reasons for concern. Possible reasons for the high injury incidence recorded may be the frequency of games played within the season, and the overlap of school and provincial competitions. It should be noted that these results were taken from one school over one season and might not be representative of the incidence of school rugby injuries overall. However, this research demonstrates the need for a multischool longitudinal study within South African schools rugby to determine the overall risk.

Training volume and soft tissue injury in professional and non-professional rugby union players: a systematic review

AimTo investigate the relationship between training volume and soft tissue injury incidence, and characterise soft tissue injury in rugby union players.DesignA systematic search of electronic databases was performed. The search...

Injury Patterns among Elite Football Players: A Media-based Analysis over 6 Seasons with Emphasis on Playing Position.

The study objective was to describe the types, localizations and severity of injuries among first division Bundesliga football players, and to study the effect of playing position on match and training injury incidence and severity, based on information from the public media. Exposure and injuries data from 1 448 players over 6 consecutive seasons were collected from a media-based register. In total, 3 358 injuries were documented. The incidence rate for match and training injuries was 11.5 per 1 000 match-hours (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.9-12.2), and 61.4 per 100 player-seasons (95% CI: 58.8-64.1), respectively. Strains (30.3%) and sprains (16.7%) were the major injury types, with the latter causing significantly longer lay-off times than the former. Significant differences between the playing positions were found regarding injury incidence and injury burden (lay-off time per incidence-rate), with wing-defenders sustaining significantly lower incidence-rates of groin injuries compared to forwards (rate ratio: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.17-0.96). Wing-midfielders had the highest incidence-rate and injury burden from match injuries, whereas central-defenders sustained the highest incidence-rate and injury burden from training injuries. There were also significant differences in match availability due to an injury across the playing positions, with midfielders sustaining the highest unavailability rates from a match and training injury. Injury-risk and patterns seem to vary substantially between different playing positions. Identifying positional differences in injury-risk may be of major importance to medical practitioners when considering preventive measures.

Prevalence Of Cheerleading Related Injuries And Rehabilitation Of Korean Young Cheerleaders

PURPOSE: Cheerleading is introduced to Korea in recent years and the popularity is growing fast. No study has reported the prevalence of cheerleading related injuries in Korea. This study describes the rate and types of injury and aftercare related to cheerleading of Korean teenagers. METHODS: Data are collected from the registered cheerleaders using a cheerleading injury surveillance questionnaire. A total of 345 teenage athletes of 42 teams who participated in Korea Cheerleading Club Festival sponsored by Korea Cheerleading Association responded to the questionnaire. From the questionnaire, their demographic information, the training history, injury incidence and types (multiple choice), and recovery process were reported. RESULTS: Injury experienced teenager was 189 (IG; 54.8%, 14.9±2.9 yrs, 158.6±10.5 cm, 48.9±11.4 kg), and their physical characteristics were not different from injury non-experienced teenager (n=156, 45.2%). In IG, training period of less than 6, 6-12, 13-24, and 25-36 months was 21.8, 45.8, 24.6, and 7.8%, respectively. The most frequent injury site was in the order of wrist (38.6%), knee (34.1%), ankle (32.3%), shoulder (30.2%), waist (24.6%), face (13.9%), and neck (12.2%). Frequently reported Injury type was contusion (44.7%), muscular pain (42.4%), ligament (20.2%), sprain (19.0), abrasion (12.3%), and back pain (11.1%). Movements causing injury were Cradle (16.8%), Elevator (15.1%), Pyramid (11.8%), Extension (10.1%), Basket toss (9.0%), Practice (8.5%), and Handspring (6.8%). When experienced injuries, they went hospital with coaches (41.9%), visited clinic without a coach (25.7%), treated privately (19.0%), and did not care (6.7%). For treatment of injury, they were rehabilitated at a hospital (26.3%). Many of the injured cheerleaders (41.9%) did not practice rehabilitation or took care of themselves (19.0%). When returning to training after injury, they were fully (49.7%) or partially recovered (44.7%). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the teenage cheerleaders experienced injuries and more than half of them did not practice proper rehabilitation. More than half of injured cheerleaders returned to training without a complete recovery. Safety and injury prevention measures and education for rehabilitation should be introduced to Korean teenage cheerleaders.

Analysis of Injury Incidences in Male Professional Adult and Elite Youth Soccer Players: A Systematic Review.

The incidence of injury for elite youth and professional adult soccer players is an important concern, but the risk factors for these groups are different. To summarize and compare the injury incidences and injury characteristics of male professional adult and elite youth soccer players. We searched MEDLINE and Web of Science using the search terms elite, international, European, soccer, football, injury, injuries, epidemiology, incidence, prevalence, not female, not American football, and not rugby. We also used the search terms professional for studies on professional adult soccer players and high-level, soccer academy, youth, adolescent, and young for studies on elite youth soccer players. Eligible studies were published in English, had a prospective cohort design, and had a minimum study period of 6 months. To ensure that injury data were assessed in relationship to the athlete's individual exposure, we included only studies that reported on injuries and documented exposure volume. Two independent reviewers applied the selection criteria and assessed the quality of the studies. A total of 676 studies were retrieved from the literature search. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria: 6 for elite youth and 12 for professional adult soccer players. Injury rates were higher for matches than for training for both youth and adult players. Youth players had a higher incidence of training injuries than professionals. Efforts must be made to reduce the overall injury rate in matches. Therefore, preventive interventions, such as adequately enforcing rules and focusing on fair play, must be analyzed and developed to reduce match-related injury incidences. Reducing training injuries should be a particular focus for youth soccer players.

The Epidemiology of Injuries in Australian Professional Rugby Union 2014 Super Rugby Competition.

Background:Rugby union is a collision-based ball sport played at the professional level internationally. Rugby union has one of the highest reported incidences of injury of all team sports.Purpose:To identify the characteristics, incidence, and severity of injuries occurring in Australian professional Super Rugby Union.Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:The present study was a prospective epidemiology study on a cohort of 180 professional players from 5 Australian Super Rugby teams during the 2014 Super Rugby Union Tournament. Team medical staff collected and submitted daily training and match-play injury data through a secure, web-based electronic platform. The injury data included the main anatomic location of the injury, specific anatomic structure of the injury, injury diagnosis, training or match injury occurrence, main player position, mechanism of injury, and the severity of the injury quantified based on the number of days lost from training and/or competition due to injury.Results:The total combined incidence rate for injury during training and match-play across all Australian Super Rugby Union teams was 6.96 per 1000 hours, with a mean injury severity of 37.45 days lost from training and competition. The match-play injury incidence rate was 66.07 per 1000 hours, with a mean severity of 39.80 days lost from training and competition. No significant differences were observed between forward- and back-playing positions for match or training injury incidence rate or severity.Conclusion:The incidence of injury for the present study was lower during match-play than has previously been reported in professional rugby union; however, the overall time loss was higher compared with previous studies in professional rugby union. The high overall time loss was due fundamentally to a high incidence of injuries with greater than 28 days’ severity.

The Relationship Between Training Load and Injury, Illness and Soreness: A Systematic and Literature Review.

Clinically it is understood that rapid increases in training loads expose an athlete to an increased risk of injury; however, there are no systematic reviews to qualify this statement. The aim of this systematic review was to determine training and competition loads, and the relationship between injury, illness and soreness. The MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL and EMBASE databases were searched using a predefined search strategy. Studies were included if they analysed the relationship between training or competition loads and injury or illness, and were published prior to October 2015. Participants were athletes of any age or level of competition. The quality of the studies included in the review was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The level of evidence was defined as strong, 'consistent findings among multiple high-quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs)'; moderate, 'consistent findings among multiple low-quality RCTs and/or non-randomised controlled trials (CCTs) and/or one high-quality RCT'; limited, 'one low-quality RCT and/or CCTs, conflicting evidence'; conflicting, 'inconsistent findings among multiple trials (RCTs and/or CCTs)'; or no evidence, 'no RCTs or CCTs'. A total of 799 studies were identified; 23 studies met the inclusion criteria, and a further 12 studies that were not identified in the search but met the inclusion criteria were subsequently added to the review. The largest number of studies evaluated the relationship between injuries and training load in rugby league players (n=9) followed by cricket (n=5), football (n=3), Australian Football (n=3), rugby union (n=2),volleyball (n=2), baseball (n=2), water polo (n=1), rowing (n=1), basketball (n=1), swimming (n=1), middle-distance runners (n=1) and various sports combined (n=1). Moderate evidence for a significant relationship was observed between training loads and injury incidence in the majority of studies (n=27, 93%). In addition, moderate evidence exists for a significant relationship between training loads and illness incidence (n=6, 75%). Training loads were reported to have a protective effect against injury (n=9, 31%) and illness (n=1, 13%). The median (range) NOS score for injury and illness was 8 (5-9) and 6 (5-9), respectively. A limitation of this systematic review was the a priori search strategy. Twelve further studies were included that were not identified in the search strategy, thus potentially introducing bias. The quality assessment was completed by only one author. The results of this systematic review highlight that there is emerging moderate evidence for the relationship between the training load applied to an athlete and the occurrence of injury and illness. The training load applied to an athlete appears to be related to their risk of injury and/or illness. Sports science and medicine professionals working with athletes should monitor this load and avoid acute spikes in loads. It is recommended that internal load as the product of the rate of perceived exertion (10-point modified Borg) and duration be used when determining injury risk in team-based sports. External loads measured as throw counts should also be monitored and collected across a season to determine injury risk in throwing populations. Global positioning system-derived distances should be utilised in team sports, and injury monitoring should occur for at least 4weeks after spikes in loads.

Epidemiology of training injuries in amateur taekwondo athletes: a retrospective cohort study.

The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence and describe the pattern and severity of training injuries in taekwondo, and to compare pattern and severity of training injuries with competition injuries. One hundred and fifty-two active Australian amateur taekwondo athletes, aged 12 years or over, completed an online survey comprising questions on training exposure and injury history over the preceding 12 months. The main outcome measures were: overall injury incidence rate per athlete-year; training injury incidence rate per athlete-year, per 1000 athlete-training-sessions, and per 1000 athlete-hours of training; injury severity; and injury proportions by anatomical region and by type of injury. Injury incidence rates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals using standard methods, while injury proportions were compared using Fisher's exact test. The vast majority (81.5%) of taekwondo injuries in an average athlete-year occurred during training. The training injury incidence rate was estimated to be 1.6 (95% CI: 1.4, 1.9) per athlete-year, 11.8 (95% CI: 10.4, 13.4) per 1000 athlete-training-sessions, and 7.0 (95% CI: 6.1, 7.9) per 1000 athlete-hours of training. Among athletes with five or fewer injuries, the severity and injury pattern of training injuries were, by and large, the same as for competition injuries. Approximately sixty percent (60.3%) of training injuries required treatment by a health professional. Considering the burden of training injuries exceeds that of competition injuries, taekwondo governing bodies and stakeholders are encouraged to devote more efforts towards the identification of risk factors for, and prevention of, training injuries in the sport of taekwondo.

Injuries of Veteran Football (Soccer) Players in Germany

There is a lack of injury data for the population of veteran football players. Therefore, a prospective study was conducted to investigate injury incidences and characteristics. Over one season, injuries and exposure of 18 teams (n = 265 players, age: 44.2±7.3 years, BMI: 26.6±3.2 kg/m2) were documented. Sixty-three players sustained a total of 88 injuries during the season. The incidence of training injuries (4.5 per 1000 hours) was significantly lower than of match injuries (24.7 per 1000 hours). The majority of injuries (n = 73; 83%) were located at the lower extremities, 52 (47%) were muscle injuries. The injury incidence of veteran football players is similar to other male football players of different skill levels and age groups, indicating a need for the implementation of preventive measures. Prevention programmes should consider the specific injury characteristics, with more muscle injuries in this population compared with younger football players.

Training Activities and Injuries in English Youth Academy and Schools Rugby Union

Background: All rugby training activities carry an injury risk, but in the training environment these injury risks should be more controllable than during matches. Purpose: To (1) describe the incidence, severity, anatomic location, and type of youth rugby training injuries; (2) determine the injury events and type of training activities associated with injuries; and (3) compare 2 levels of play (professional academy vs school) within English youth rugby union. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A 2-season (2006-2007 and 2007-2008) study recorded exposure to training activities and time-loss injuries in male youth rugby union players (age range, 16-18 years) from 12 English Premiership academies (250 player-seasons) and 7 schools (222 player-seasons). Players from the Premiership academies, associated with the top-level professional clubs in England, represented the elite level of youth rugby; the school players were from established rugby-playing schools but were overall considered at a lower level of play. Results: There was a trend for training injury incidence to be lower for the academy group (1.4/1000 player-hours; 95% CI, 1.0-1.7) compared with the school group (2.1/1000 player-hours; 95% CI, 1.4-2.9) (P = .06). Injuries to the ankle/heel and thigh were most common in academy players and injuries to the lumbar spine and ankle/heel region most common in school players. The training activities responsible for injury differed between the 2 groups: technical skills (scrummaging) for school players and contact skills (defense and ruck/maul drills) for academy players. Conclusion: For injury risk management in youth rugby, coaches of school players should focus on the development of the correct technique during practice of technical skills such as scrummaging, weight training, and skills training, and coaches of academy players should consider the extent to which contact drills are necessary during training.

Injury characteristics in the German professional male soccer leagues after a shortened winter break.

The winter break in the top 2 German professional soccer leagues was shortened from 6.5 to 3.5 weeks in the 2009-2010 season. To investigate whether this change affected injury characteristics by comparing the second half of the 2008-2009 (long winter break) with the equivalent period in the 2009-2010 season (short winter break). Prospective cohort study. German male professional soccer leagues. Seven professional German male soccer teams (184 players in the 2008-2009 season, 188 players in the 2009-2010 season). Injury incidences and injury characteristics (cause of injury, location, severity, type, diagnosis), including their monthly distribution, were recorded. A total of 300 time-loss injuries (2008-2009 n = 151, 2009-2010 n = 149) occurred. The overall injury incidence per 1000 soccer hours was 5.90 (95% confidence interval = 5.03, 6.82) in 2008-2009 and 6.55 (5.58, 7.69) in 2009-2010. Match injuries per 1000 hours were 31.5 (25.0, 38.0) in the first season and 26.5 (20.2, 32.7) in the second season; the corresponding training values were 2.67 (2.08-3.44) and 3.98 (3.19-4.95), respectively. The training injury incidence (incidence rate ratio = 1.49 [95% confidence interval = 1.07, 2.08], P = .02) and the risk of sustaining a knee injury (incidence rate ratio = 1.66 [1.00, 2.76], P = .049) were higher in 2009-2010 after the short winter break; the incidence of moderate and severe injuries (time loss >7 days) trended higher (incidence rate ratio = 1.34 [0.96, 1.86], P = .09). Shortening the winter break from 6.5 to 3.5 weeks did not change the overall injury incidence; however, a higher number of training, knee, and possibly more severe injuries (time loss >7 days) occurred.

Effects of regular away travel on training loads, recovery, and injury rates in professional Australian soccer players.

The current study examined the acute and longitudinal effects of regular away travel on training load (TL), player wellness, and injury surrounding competitive football (soccer) matches. Eighteen male professional football players, representing a team competing in the highest national competition in Australia, volunteered to participate in the study. Training loads, player wellness and injury incidence, rate, severity, and type, together with the activity at the time of injury, were recorded on the day before, the day of, and for 4 d after each of the 27 matches of the 2012-13 season. This included 14 home and 13 away matches, further subdivided based on the midpoint of the season into early (1-13) and late competition (14-27) phases. While TLs were significantly greater on day 3 at home compared with away during the early competition phase (P=.03), no other significant effects of match location were identified (P>.05). Total TL and mean wellness over the 6 d surrounding matches and TL on day 3 were significantly reduced during the late compared with the early competition phase at home and away (P<.05). Although not significantly (P>.05), training missed due to injury was 60% and 50% greater during the late than during the early competition phase at home and away, respectively. In conclusion, no significant interactions between match location and competition phase were evident during the late competition phase, which suggests that away travel had negligible cumulative effects on the reduction in player wellness in the latter half of the season.

A prospective epidemiological study of injury incidence and injury patterns in a Hong Kong male professional football league during the competitive season

The aim of this study was to investigate the match and training injury incidence, injury patterns and severity, and their monthly variation in a Hong Kong male professional football league. The study design was a prospective cohort study. Seven teams in the Hong Kong Football Association first division league and 152 players from 10 professional teams participated in this study. On a weekly basis throughout the 9-month season, time-loss injuries and individual exposure were collected from injury recorders team visits. Operational injury definitions and procedures followed the recommendations of a football consensus. The overall injury incidence was 7.4 injuries/1000 player hours and 296 injuries were recorded. The relative risk of match injury was 17 times greater than the risk of training injury [relative ratio (RR), 17.3; 95% confidence injury (CI), 11.6–25.7; p < 0.001]. Ankle sprain was the most common injury type (16.2% of all injuries) and 52% of these injuries were recurrent. Thigh strain was the second most common injury type with 82% of the injuries involving the hamstring muscle and 80% of hamstring strains were noncontact injuries. During the competitive season, the relative risk of injury was highest in October (RR, 6.8; 95% CI, 6.7–6.9; p < 0.001) and February (RR, 4.7; 95% CI, 4.3–5.2; p < 0.001). This highlighted that Hong Kong professional football has a high match injury incidence. The relative risk of injury was highest at the beginning of the competitive season. A prospective multicentre epidemiological study is warranted to examine regional differences in injury risks. Coaches, players, health professionals, and researchers should join their efforts to investigate the effect on injury incidence and injury pattern associated with the duration and content of the preseason period, and the number of friendly matches held during preseason.

Epidemiology of injuries in First Division Spanish football

The aim was to examine the injuries sustained by Spanish football players in the First Division and to compare injury-related variables in the context of both competition and training. The injury data were prospectively collected from 16 teams (427 players) using a specific web-based survey during the 2008/2009 season. A total of 1293 injuries were identified (145 were recurring injuries). The overall injury incidence was 5.65 injuries per 1000 h of exposure. Injuries were much more common during competition than during training (43.53 vs. 3.55 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, P < 0.05). Most of the injuries (89.6%) involved the lower extremities, and overuse (65.7%) was the main cause. Muscle and tendon injuries were the most common types of injury (53.8%) among the players. The incidence of training injuries was greater during the pre-season and tended to decrease throughout the season, while the incidence of competition injuries increased throughout the season (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest the need for injury prevention protocols in the First Division of the Spanish Football League to reduce the number of overuse injuries in the muscles and tendons in the lower extremities. In addition, special attention should be paid during the pre-season and the competitive phase II (the last four months of the season) in order to prevent training and competition injuries, respectively.

The Incidence of Match and Training Injuries in Rugby League: A Pooled Data Analysis of Published Studies

Studies reporting on injuries in rugby league have shown that the injury incidence increases as the participation level increases. To provide pooled estimates for the incidence of rugby league injuries in match and training activities at all levels of performance and by gender. Searches of PubMed, CINHAL, Ovid, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect and SportDiscus® databases were performed to identify studies published in English prior to November 2012. Bibliographic searches were also carried out without language restrictions. A pooled analysis of published studies which have reported the incidences of rugby league match and/or training injuries. Two reviewers extracted the study characteristics, numerical data and assessed the quality, by adhering to the protocol for systematic review of observational studies (MOOSE). A total of 34 studies (from 1,422 identified in the initial search) were identified that reported data collection of rugby league injuries that met the inclusion criteria. The data provided information from a total of 5,785 match events totalling 87,185 match exposure hr. and 242,754 training exposure hr. The pooled analysis injury incidence for match injuries was 148 (95% CI: 145 to 150) per 1,000 match hr. The lower limb (69; 95% CI: 67 to 72 per 1,000 match hr.) was the most common injury region recorded. Although contusions were the most common pooled injury type (34.0; 95% CI: 32.3 to 35.8 per 1,000 match hr.) this varied by participation level. The pooled analysis injury incidence for training injuries was 12.6 per 1,000 training hr. The lower limb was again the most common injury region recorded (5.7; 95% CI: 5.1 to 5.8 per 1,000 training injuries) for all training studies and strains (3.1; 95% CI: 2.8 to 3.3 per 1,000 training hours) were the most common training injury type recorded. These findings are indicative of the physical demands placed on players across many levels of participation and in time further additions to this analysis are warranted to provide a more detailed picture of the sport from an injury prevention perspective.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INJURIES IN A WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL RUGBY SEVENS WORLD CUP SQUAD

BackgroundLittle is known about injury patterns in women's rugby sevens.ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of match and training injuries sustained by elite female rugby sevens players during preparation for and during...