• English
    • Welsh
  • English 
    • English
    • Welsh
  • Login
Search DSpace:
  • Home
  • Research at Cardiff Met
  • Library Services
  • Contact Us
View item 
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Import
  • View item
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Import
  • View item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

On average, a professional rugby union player is more likely than not to sustain a concussion after 25 matches

Thumbnail
View/open
Publisher's PDF (364.7Kb)
Author
Rafferty, James
Ranson, Craig
Oatley, Giles
Mostafa, Mohamed
Mathema, Prabhat
Crick, Tom
Moore, Isabel
Date
2018-03-12
Acceptance date
2018-02-17
Date Deposited
2018-03-29
Type
Article
Publisher
BMJ
ISSN
0306-3674
1473-0480
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Objectives - To investigate concussion injury rates, the likelihood of sustaining concussion relative to the number of rugby union matches and the risk of subsequent injury following concussion. Methods - A four-season (2012/2013–2015/2016) prospective cohort study of injuries in professional level (club and international) rugby union. Incidence (injuries/1000 player-match-hours), severity (days lost per injury) and number of professional matches conferring a large risk of concussion were determined. The risk of injury following concussion was assessed using a survival model. Results - Concussion incidence increased from 7.9 (95% CI 5.1 to 11.7) to 21.5 injuries/1000 player-match-hours (95% CI 16.4 to 27.6) over the four seasons for combined club and international rugby union. Concussion severity was unchanged over time (median: 9 days). Players were at a greater risk of sustaining a concussion than not after an exposure of 25 matches (95% CI 19 to 32). Injury risk (any injury) was 38% greater (HR 1.38; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.56) following concussion than after a non-concussive injury. Injuries to the head and neck (HR 1.34; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.70), upper limb (HR 1.59; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.12), pelvic region (HR 2.07; 95% CI 1.18 to 3.65) and the lower limb (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.21 to 2.10) were more likely following concussion than after a non-concussive injury. Conclusion - Concussion incidence increased, while severity remained unchanged, during the 4 years of this study. Playing more than 25 matches in the 2015/2016 season meant that sustaining concussion was more likely than not sustaining concussion. The 38% greater injury risk after concussive injury (compared with non-concussive injury) suggests return to play protocols warrant investigation.
Journal/conference proceeding
British Journal of Sports Medicine;
Citation
Rafferty, J., Ranson, C., Oatley, G., Mostafa, M., Mathema, P., Crick, T. and Moore, I.S. (2018) 'On average, a professional rugby union player is more likely than not to sustain a concussion after 25 matches', British Journal of Sports Medicine, pp.bjsports-2017.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10369/9544
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098417
Description
Article published open access in British Journal of Sports Medicine available at https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098417
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Collections
  • Import [796]

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.

  • Thumbnail

    Injury risk in international Rugby Union: Three-year injury surveillance of the Welsh national team 

    Moore, Isabel; Ranson, Craig; Mathema, Prabhat (Sage, 2015-07-28)
    Background: Within international Rugby Union, only injury rates during the Rugby World Cup have been reported. Therefore, injury rates and types during other international tournaments are unknown. Purpose: To assess the ...
  • Thumbnail

    Four-year match injury surveillance in male Welsh professional Rugby Union teams 

    Bitchell, Charlotte; Mathema, Prabhat; Moore, Isabel (Elsevier, 2019-12-04)
    Objectives To report match injury incidence, burden and mechanism over a four-year period in professional male Welsh Regional Rugby Union. Design: Descriptive; Longitudinal. Setting: Welsh Regional Rugby Union. Participants: ...
  • Thumbnail

    Efficacy of a movement control injury-prevention programme in an adult community rugby union population; a cluster randomised controlled trial 

    Attwood, Matthew; Roberts, Simon; Trewartha, Grant; England, Mike; Stokes, Keith (BMJ Journals, 2017-10-21)
    Background Exercise programmes aimed at reducing injury have been shown to be efficacious for some non-collision sports, but evidence in collision sports such as rugby union is lacking. Objective To evaluate the efficacy ...

Browse

DSpace at Cardiff MetCommunities & CollectionsBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis collectionBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
Contact us | Send feedback | Administrator