Background Rugby union is a physically demanding, fullcontact team sport that has gained worldwide popularity. The incidence of injury in rugby union has been widely reported in the literature. While comprehensive injury surveillance and prevention programmes have been implemented within the professional game, there is a need for similar strategies in the amateur game. Despite recent increases in the volume of research in rugby, there is little consensus regarding the true incidence rate of match and training injuries in senior amateur male rugby union players. Objective The aim of the current review was to systematically review the available evidence on the epidemiology of time-loss injuries in senior amateur male rugby union players and to subsequently conduct a meta-analysis of the findings. Methods A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus and Google Scholar electronic databases was performed using the following keywords; ('rugby' OR 'rugby union') AND ('amateur' OR 'community') AND ('injur*' OR 'pain*'). Six articles regarding the incidence of injury in senior amateur male rugby union players, in both matches and training, were retrieved and included in the meta-analysis to determine the overall incidence rate of match injury, with descriptive analyses also provided for other reported variables. Results The overall incidence rate of match injuries within senior amateur rugby union players was 46.8/1000 player hours [95% confidence interval (CI) 34.4-59.2]. Contact events accounted for the majority of injuries, with the tackler more at risk than the player being tackled, and with respective incidence rates of 15.9/1000 player hours (95% CI 12.4-19.5) and 12.2/1000 player hours (95% CI 9.3-15.1). Conclusion This meta-analysis found that the incidence rate of injury in amateur rugby union players was lower than that in professional players, but higher than the incidences reported in adolescent and youth rugby players. By understanding the true incidence and nature of injuries in rugby, injury prevention strategies can best be implemented. Future prevention strategies may best be aimed towards the tackle area, specifically to the tackler, in order to minimize injury risk. 2. The incidence rate of injury in senior male amateur rugby union players appears to be lower than that in professional players, but higher than the incidences reported in adolescent and youth rugby players.3.

Despite its growing popularity, scant research exists concerning musculoskeletal pain and injury in Irish dancing (ID). This study aimed to record the biopsychosocial characteristics of elite adult Irish dancers and to investigate potential relationships between these characteristics and musculoskeletal pain and injury. One hundred and four professional Irish dancers, elite competitive Irish dancers, and dancers in full time education studying ID completed a questionnaire providing data on dance and activity levels, physical and psychological health, and pain and injury history. Of these subjects, 84 underwent 1. a physical screening of lower limb flexibility, which involved balance and endurance; 2. a number of functional tests; and 3. anthropometric, biomechanical, and anatomical assessments. Subjects were divided into "significantly injured (SI)" and "not significantly injured (NSI)" categories based on the severity and impact of self-reported pain and injury. Thirty-three (31.7%) subjects were classified as SI and 71 (68.3%) as NSI. The factors significantly associated with being SI were female sex (p = 0.036), higher number of subjective general health (p = 0.001) and psychological (p = 0.036) complaints, low mood (p = 0.01), heightened catastrophizing (p = 0.047), and failure always to complete a warm-up (p = 0.006). A self-reported injury rate of 76.9% over the previous 5 years was reported. The mean number of injuries sustained to all body parts over the previous 5 years was 1.49, with a mean of 126.1 days lost annually to injury. Foot and ankle injuries were most prevalent. It was concluded that there is a significant level of musculoskeletal pain and injury in elite adult ID. A complex combination of biopsychosocial factors appears to be associated with pain and injury.

Despite the evolution of Irish dance to professional status in recent decades, only scant investigation of musculoskeletal pain and injury among professional Irish dancers (PIDs) has been undertaken. This study investigated the rate of injury and associated factors among 178 PIDs, using an online questionnaire. One hundred and thirty-seven PIDs (76.7%) reported a previous injury, with the foot (67.9%) and ankle (60.6%) most commonly affected. A mean career rate of 2.25 injuries per dancer was computed. The majority of injuries were minor in nature, and almost half occurred midway through a tour. Sixty subjects (33.7%) reported that they often or always danced in pain. The main contributory factors to injury were accidents, fatigue or overwork, repetitive movements, and unsafe stages. Warm-up (98.8%) and cool-down (84.3%) were almost universally practised, with cross-training engaged in by 124 PIDs (74.7%). Popular treatments used to prevent and manage injuries were massage (N = 137, or 83.0% of PIDs), stretching (N = 117, or 70.1%) and physiotherapy (N = 105, or 62.9%). There was a moderate level of psychological distress among the participants, with "interpersonal difficulties" and "tension with people" the main problems cited. PIDs who were older (p = 0.008) and more experienced (p = 0.002) reported missing a greater number of performances due to injury. There were no other significant relationships between injury and factors, including gender, frequency of dancing in pain, use of warm-up, cool-down, or cross-training. Further prospective studies of PIDs should consider both physical and biopsychosocial elements to generate an appropriate screening process to predict those at risk of injury.

Several biopsychosocial factors appear to be associated with FAPI in Irish dancers. Biopsychosocial screening protocols and prevention strategies may best identify and support at-risk dancers.

SCI impacts significantly on the QOL of family caregivers, with major implications for physical, mental and social aspects of caregiver health. This review highlights that these important issues are problematic internationally and may persist over several decades. The need for focused interventions to support family caregivers of spinal cord injured persons, with particular emphasis on increasing patient/family education and access to support groups, is recommended.

Dance exposure is erratic in these cohorts with dancers frequently performing when injured. Poor sleep, general health, and increased dance exposure may be associated with injury.

Previous research in Irish dancing (ID) has recorded high levels of pain/injury. Screening protocols in other genres have been developed to identify at-risk dancers. The aims of the study were to examine the factors that relate to absence from dancing because of musculo-skeletal pain/injury in ID, and to inform guidelines for the development of an evidence-based screening protocol. Baseline subjective data (n = 85) and physical data (n = 84) were gathered. Subjects completed a monthly online questionnaire for 1 year providing data on general physical and psychological health and rates of pain/injury. Subjects were allocated to a "More Time Absent (MTA)" or "Less Time Absent (LTA)" category depending on their duration of absence from performance over the year. Eighty-four subjects completed the year-long follow-up (MTA: n = 32; LTA: n = 52). Two hundred seventy-eight complaints of pain/injury were recorded. Factors significantly associated with membership of the MTA group included greater anger-hostility (P = 0.003), more subjective health complaints (P = 0.026), more severe previous pain/injury (P = 0.017), more general everyday pain (P = 0.020), more body parts affected by pain/injury (P = 0.028), always/often dancing in pain (P = 0.028), and insufficient sleep (P = 0.043). Several biopsychosocial factors appear to be associated with absence from ID because of pain/injury. Biopsychosocial screening protocols and prevention strategies may best identify at-risk dancers.

Background Management of Long COVID (LC) is hugely challenging for clinicians. This pilot study evaluated a breathing retraining and singing programme (SingStrong for LC) to address common LC symptoms. The study hypothesized that this intervention would improve symptoms impacting disordered breathing and participant wellbeing. Methods The 10-week, bi-weekly online programme was comprised of a 45-min class of mindfulness, breathing retraining, vocal exercises, and singing. Sessions were recorded for non-attenders and conducted by a trained vocal coach experienced in respiratory cohorts. Persons with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and persisting symptoms were invited to participate. Demographic and COVID-19 data were collected, and the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire Short Form (DSQ- SF) and COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehab Screen questionnaires were administered. Post-intervention focus groups were also conducted. Results Of 27 ( F = 23(85%)) participants recruited, data from 21 who completed at least 10 (50%) classes were analysed. Participants showed significant pre–post-intervention improvements in all breathlessness symptoms (at rest: P < 0.001; dressing: P = 0.01; stairs: P < 0.001), fatigue ( P = 0.03), usual activities ( P = 0.04), pain/disability ( P = 0.03), voice quality ( P = 0.01), and communication/cognition ( P = 0.04). Pre–post number of instances meeting DSQ-SF criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) decreased by a net of nine cases (14.3%). No association between COVID-19 hospitalisation status and diagnosis of ME/CFS was identified. Qualitative feedback from eight participants was overwhelmingly positive with all reporting improvements in breathing and general well-being. Conclusion The SingStrong programme shows promise as a viable treatment option for LC sufferers. Future studies are required to further investigate the efficacy of this intervention.