Abstract
Contact injuries were frequent over the study period (direct=56%; indirect=38%, unknown=6%). Contact injuries overall were similar among positions (p<0.065) and were categorized as direct contact injuries (overall 56%). Contact injuries resulted in a mean 52.2 days absent. Most injuries were from a tackle (83%) and resulted from collision with another player (66%) through a direct mechanism (70%, p<0.001). Overall injured body parts were most commonly the head/face (25%), knee (14%), and shoulder (14%). In addition to lower extremity injuries, we found high frequency of head, neck, shoulder and upper extremity injuries, with this new tackling U.S. cohort. This phenomenon among U.S. women’s Rugby-7s is interesting when taken in context that there are no cross-over athletes as in U.S. men’s Rugby-7s and American Football. Among all levels of Rugby-7s, most injuries in the sport result from contact events, particularly the tackle. This study provides needed data on biomechanical influences in match contact injuries encountered in the emerging and expanding population of women Rugby-7s.
background
The importance of women’s participation in rugby, for both exposure and growth of the sport internationally, has been supported by the World Rugby’s Women’s Rugby Plan over 2011-2016. Rugby has seen a recent surge in popularity in the U.S. (greater than 80,000 members in 2010 to greater than 1.6 million participants in 2016) (WorldRugby.org). Women and girls have seen a growth of 1.7 million globally (WorldRugby.org, 2015).
purpose
A prospective epidemiological study of contact injured U.S. women Rugby-7s players, using the Rugby Injury Survey & Evaluation (RISE) methodology (Lopez et al., 2012; 2014; 2016; Ma, et al., 2016), compliant with international consensus statement on rugby studies was performed (Fuller et al., 2007).
design
Epidemiological Analysis
method
A prospective epidemiological study of injured U.S. women Rugby-7s players, using the Rugby Injury Survey & Evaluation (RISE) methodology (Lopez et al., 2012; 2014; 2016; Ma, et al., 2016), compliant with international consensus statement on rugby studies was performed (Fuller et al., 2007). Injury data were collected from a population of 10,328 U19 to elite U.S. women’s players on 852 teams involved in 1,892 matches in 80 USA Rugby-sanctioned tournaments.
results
Contact injuries were frequent over the study period (direct=56%; indirect=38%, unknown=6%). Contact injuries overall were similar among positions (p<0.065) and were categorized as direct contact injuries (overall 56%). Contact injuries resulted in a mean 52.2 days absent. Most injuries were from a tackle (83%) and resulted from collision with another player (66%) through a direct mechanism (70%, p<0.001). Overall injured body parts were most commonly the head/face (25%), knee (14%), and shoulder (14%).
conclusion
In addition to lower extremity injuries, we found high frequency of head, neck, shoulder and upper extremity injuries, with this new tackling U.S. cohort. This phenomenon among U.S. women’s Rugby-7s is interesting when taken in context that there are no cross-over athletes as in U.S. men’s Rugby-7s and American Football.
clinic relevance
Among all levels of Rugby-7s, most injuries in the sport result from contact events, particularly the tackle. This study provides needed data on biomechanical influences in match contact injuries encountered in the emerging and expanding population of women Rugby-7s.