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Int J Sports Med 2023; 44(11): 805-812
DOI: 10.1055/a-2038-3452
Training & Testing

Epidemiology of International Match Injuries in Scottish Rugby: A Prospective Cohort Study

Stuart John Bailey 
1   School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Russell Martindale
1   School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Lars Engebretsen
4   Orthopedic Clinic, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
5   Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Oslo, Norway
,
James Peter Robson
6   Sport Medicine, Scottish Rugby Union, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Debbie Palmer
2   Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network, University of Edinburgh Institute for Sport Physical Education and Health Sciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
3   School of Medicine, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, Nottingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
› Author Affiliations Funding Information Scottish Rugby
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Abstract

Fifteen-a-side rugby union (“rugby”) is a full-contact sport played separately by men and women, with large injury incidences reported previously. Context specific injury surveillance fulfils governing bodies’ duty of care to understand risks to player welfare, yet no contemporary match injury epidemiology studies exist for international players in Scotland. The current study therefore aimed to describe the incidence, severity, burden and nature of match injuries sustained by Scotland’s men’s and women’s national teams. A prospective cohort study of injuries recorded in matches across the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons was undertaken, with injury and exposure definitions in line with the international consensus for injury surveillance in rugby. Injury incidence was 120.0 (men) and 166.7/1,000 player match hours (women), injury severity was 12.0 (median) and 31.2 days (mean) for men, and 11.0 (median) and 30.2 days (mean) for women. Injury burden was 3,745 (men) and 5,040 days absence/1,000 player match hours (women). Concussion was the most common specific injury for men (22.5/1,000 hours) and women (26.7/1,000 hours). No statistical differences were found for incidence or severity measures between sexes. Injury incidence was greater than recent Rugby World Cup studies. High incidences of concussion reinforces the need for prevention strategies targeting this injury.

Key words

injury - concussion - player welfare - men - women

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 05 October 2022

Accepted: 31 January 2023

Article published online:
06 June 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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