Abstract
Objective: To examine injury and concussion rates, mechanisms, locations, and types of injury in Canadian high school male rugby.Design:Prospective cohort study.Setting:High school male rugby.Participants:A total of 429 high school players (2018: n = 225, 2019: n = 256) were recruited from 12 teams in 7 schools in Calgary, Canada.
Interventions: None.
Main Outcome Measures: Injury surveillance included baseline questionnaires, weekly exposure, and injury reports. Injuries included those requiring medical attention, resulted in time loss and/or inability to complete a session. Concussion was defined as per the fifth Consensus on Concussion in Sport, and all players with a suspected concussion were referred to a study sport medicine physician.
Results: A total of 134 injuries were captured, leading to an injury incidence rate (IR) of 57.9/1000 hours [95% confidence intervals (CIs): 45.4-73.8]. Median time loss was 6 days (range: 0-90). Injuries to the head were the most common (40%), followed by shoulder (12%) and ankle (10%). The concussion IR was 22.0/1000 hours (95% CIs: 15.9-30.4), which was the most common injury type (38%), followed by sprain (20%) and strain (15%). Sixty-five percent of injuries occurred in the tackle (ball carrier 35%, tackler 30%) and 76% of concussions (ball carrier 41%, tackler 35%).
Conclusions: The rate of injury and concussion in Canadian youth high school male rugby is high, with tackle-related injuries and concussions the most common. Given this, there is a critical need for implementation of prevention strategies, in particular targeting concussion and the tackle event (eg, neuromuscular, tackle training, and law changes).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 405-413 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 12 Jan 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2023 |
Funding
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre is one of the International Olympic Committee Research Centers for the Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health. The authors acknowledge the funding received, which supported this project including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR Foundation grant C. Emery PI) and the National Football League Play Smart Play Safe Program (C. Emery PI). Carolyn Emery holds a Canada Research Chair in Concussion. The authors also wish to acknowledge and thank the research coordinators, research assistants, school districts, teachers, coaches, and students involved in the project.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Canadian Institute of Health Research |
Keywords
- concussion
- epidemiology
- injury
- prevention
- rates
- rugby
- youth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine