Time loss injuries compromise team success in Elite Rugby Union: a 7-year prospective study

Williams, Seán; Trewartha, Grant; Kemp, Simon; Brooks, John H M; Fuller, Colin W; Taylor, Aileen; Cross, Matthew; Stokes, Keith

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094798

Cited by 79 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…1 Along with the social and economic effects that injuries may have on athletes and their families, 2 injuries are also detrimental to team success in various sports. 3,4 Consequently, it is important to understand the injury epidemiology of a given population in order to effectively plan injury-prevention strategies and minimize the effects of injuries on both the athlete and the team.…”

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confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Injury in Elite English Schoolboy Rugby Union: A 3-Year Study Comparing Different Competitions

Barden

Stokes

2018

Journal of Athletic Training

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Context: Injury risks in professional and community rugby union have been extensively described; however, less is known about injury epidemiology at the schoolboy level.Objective: To investigate the injury risk in English schoolboy rugby union matches, comparing an elite competition (Achieving Academic and Sporting Excellence [AASE]) with subelite matches (non-AASE).Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Rugby union academy, consisting of 16-to 19-year-old males, based at an elite sports college in England.Patients or Other Participants: A total of 132 participants (mean age ¼ 17.5 years) were included in the study; 64 athletes experienced a total of 103 time-loss injuries over a 3-season period (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015). All injuries were assessed and recorded by the team therapist using consensus statement definitions.Main Outcome Measure(s): Injury characteristics were recorded and compared between groups. Primary outcome measures were injury incidence (per 1000 h match exposure) and injury burden (days absent/1000 h), and rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals are presented throughout.Results: A total of 131 matches were played (34 AASE, 97 non-AASE) and a total of 103 injuries were recorded (47 AASE, 56 non-AASE). The injury incidence in AASE matches (77/1000 h) was greater than in non-AASE matches (34/1000 h). The concussion incidence in AASE matches (20/1000 h) was 5 times that of non-AASE matches (4/1000 h). The head/face had the highest injury incidence for a specific location, followed by the shoulder region (AASE ¼ 19/1000 h, non-AASE ¼ 5/1000 h), which had the greatest injury burden (553/1000 h and 105/1000 h, respectively) for any specific body location. More than 50% of all injuries were associated with tackles.Conclusions: A much greater incidence of all injuries occurred at the highest level of competition, and the concussion incidence was greater than that reported in any previously published study of youth rugby. Given the high incidence and burden of concussions and shoulder injuries, prevention and management deserve specific focus.Key Words: adolescents, injuries, youths, sport, upper limb, concussion Key PointsPlaying in the more elite level of competition (Achieving Academic and Sporting Excellence [AASE] matches) was associated with a greater risk of injury, with an incidence rate difference of 43/1000 player-hours. The concussion incidence was 20/1000 player-hours in AASE matches, which was 5 times greater than the rate of 4/ 1000 player-hours in non-AASE matches and those in published studies of both youth and professional rugby. Shoulder injuries constituted the largest injury burden and the second highest incidence rate in the AASE group.

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confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Injury in Elite English Schoolboy Rugby Union: A 3-Year Study Comparing Different Competitions

Barden

Stokes

2018

Journal of Athletic Training

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“…The study is being performed in the premier league schools where winning is a priority (a decrease in injuries contributes to winning),52 and therefore, the participants in the intervention group will be motivated to implement the injury prevention measures to the best of their abilities.…”

Section: Randomised Controlled Trial Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Implementation of the BokSmartSafe SixInjury Prevention Programme: a study protocol

et al. 2016

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“…There is evidence linking injury and team success in several football (soccer) studies,43–45 and a recent 7-year prospective study by Williams et al 46 found that time loss injuries compromised team success in elite rugby. The work by Williams et al aside, it is important to recognise that most of the research into physical loads and injury in rugby to date has been conducted on single teams over short follow-up periods, resulting in low numbers of injuries being available for analysis.…”

Section: Load and Injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing player load in professional rugby union: a review of current knowledge and practices

Quarrie¹,

Raftery

Blackie³

et al. 2016

Br J Sports Med

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BackgroundThe loads to which professional rugby players are subjected has been identified as a concern by coaches, players and administrators. In November 2014, World Rugby commissioned an expert group to identify the physical demands and non-physical load issues associated with participation in professional rugby.ObjectiveTo describe the current state of knowledge about the loads encountered by professional rugby players and the implications for their physical and mental health.FindingsThe group defined ‘load’ as it relates to professional rugby players as the total stressors and demands applied to the players. In the 2013–2014 seasons, 40% of professional players appeared in 20 matches or more, and 5% of players appeared in 30 matches or more. Matches account for ∼5–11% of exposure to rugby-related activities (matches, team and individual training sessions) during professional competitions. The match injury rate is about 27 times higher than that in training. The working group surmised that players entering a new level of play, players with unresolved previous injuries, players who are relatively older and players who are subjected to rapid increases in load are probably at increased risk of injury. A mix of ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ measures in conjunction with effective communication among team staff and between staff and players was held to be the best approach to monitoring and managing player loads. While comprehensive monitoring holds promise for individually addressing player loads, it brings with it ethical and legal responsibilities that rugby organisations need to address to ensure that players’ personal information is adequately protected.ConclusionsAdministrators, broadcasters, team owners, team staff and the players themselves have important roles in balancing the desire to have the ‘best players’ on the field with the ongoing health of players. In contrast, the coaching, fitness and medical staff exert significant control over the activities, duration and intensity of training sessions. If load is a major risk factor for injury, then managing training loads should be an important element in enabling players to perform in a fit state as often as possible.

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Time loss injuries compromise team success in Elite Rugby Union: a 7-year prospective study

Cited by 79 publications

References 21 publications

Epidemiology of Injury in Elite English Schoolboy Rugby Union: A 3-Year Study Comparing Different Competitions

Epidemiology of Injury in Elite English Schoolboy Rugby Union: A 3-Year Study Comparing Different Competitions

Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Implementation of the BokSmartSafe SixInjury Prevention Programme: a study protocol

Managing player load in professional rugby union: a review of current knowledge and practices

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