To examine factors associated with tackles in rugby union and to assess their impact on the risk of injury.
Two-season (2003/2004 and 2005/2006) prospective cohort design with video analysis.
13 English Premiership clubs.
645 players.
RR (95% CI) calculated by comparing the frequency of occurrence of risk factors in a cohort of players injured during tackles with their frequency of occurrence in tackles in general play.
Playing position; player’s speed, impact force, head position, head/neck flexion and body region struck in the tackle; sequence, direction and type of tackle; and location and type of injury.
High-speed going into the tackle, high impact force, collisions and contact with a player’s head/neck were identified as significant (p<0.01) risk factors for ball carriers (BCs) and tacklers. Midfield backs were significantly (p<0.01) more prone to injury when tackling than other players. Relatively few tacklers were penalised by referees for collision tackles (general play: 2.0%; injured players: 3.3%) and tackles above the line of the shoulder (general play: 5.9%; injured players: 16.7%).
Advice in national and international injury prevention programmes for reducing the risk of injury in tackles is strongly supported by the results obtained from this study. These programmes should be reviewed, however, to provide specific advice for each type of tackle. Stricter implementation of the Laws of Rugby relating to collisions and tackles above the line of the shoulder may reduce the number of head/neck injuries sustained by BCs.
In this study, a profile of direct catastrophic injuries in international styles of wrestling was developed, and the possible risk factors were described.
Survey and retrospective review.
Catastrophic injuries that occurred in wrestling clubs in Iran from July 1998 to June 2005 were identified by contacting several sources. The cases were retrospectively reviewed.
The injuries included were 29 direct injuries (12 fatalities, 11 non-fatal and 6 serious).The injury rate was 1.99 direct catastrophic injuries/100 000 wrestlers/year. The majority of direct injuries occurred during training sessions, with a trend towards more injuries in the lowweight and middle-weight classes and those who were competing at high performance and experience levels. The takedown position, especially for the attacking wrestler who faces a counterattack, was the most common activity at the time of injury. A list of risk factors was suggested, of which "performing the wrestling manoeuvre incorrectly", "inappropriate management of the injury", "lack of the coach supervision", "mat problems" and "lack of restraining the wrestlers in a precarious position" were the most common risk factors.
Catastrophic wrestling injuries are rare and preventable. Coaches have an essential role in the prevention of these injuries.
‘I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that,
should I wade no more,
Returning would be as tedious as to go o’er’
—Macbeth: Act III, Scene IV, William Shakespeare
In this study, the incidence of head, neck and facial injuries in youth rugby was determined, and the associated risk factors were assessed.
Data were extracted from a cluster randomised controlled trial of headgear with the football teams as the unit of randomisation. No effect was observed for headgear use on injury rates, and the data were pooled.
General school and club-based community competitive youth rugby in the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
Young male rugby union football players participating in under-13, under 15, under 18 and under 21 years competitions. Eighty-two teams participated in year 1 and 87 in year 2.
Injury rates for all body regions combined, head, neck and face calculated for game and missed game injuries.
554 head, face and neck injuries were recorded within a total of 28 902 h of rugby game exposure. Level of play and player position were related to injury risk. Younger players had the lowest rates of injury; forwards, especially the front row had the highest rate of neck injury; and inside backs had the highest rate of injuries causing the player to miss a game. Contact events, including the scrum and tackle, were the main events leading to injury.
Injury prevention must focus on the tackle and scrum elements of a youth rugby game.
In this study, the prevalence of abnormalities in the cervical spine of asymptomatic professional rugby players using both static and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to improve the detection of abnormalities and prevention of related injuries was investigated.
Prospective observational study.
French professional rugby union clubs, between 2002 and 2006.
206 elite male adult players.
Static sagittal T2 and axial T2* fast spin echo (FSE), and dynamic sagittal single-shot FSE weighted MRI scans of the C2–C7 region were examined for the presence of abnormalities. Participants’ spines were in supine neutral position for the static protocol but were allowed complete flexibility in a sagittal plane for the dynamic protocol.
The medulla-to-canal ratio (MCR) was measured at every vertebral disc level for both MRI methods. When observed, anatomical abnormalities were categorised.
Anatomical abnormalities mainly consisted of degenerative discopathy and were most frequently observed in players aged>21 years, as well as in players whose MCR was abnormally high based on medical expertise. Most MCRs that were initially assessed as intermediate with static MRI were subsequently assessed as abnormal with dynamic MRI assessment.
Since dynamic MRI is more accurate than static techniques in examining the cervical spine, it contributes substantially to identifying the risk of spinal injuries in professional rugby players, and when used in association with clinical assessment, it can assist in preventing spinal injury.
The introduction of shoulder pads has coincided with a rise in shoulder impact injuries in the game of rugby. In this study, the effect of shoulder pads on impact force attenuation was quantified.
Four different commercially available shoulder pads were tested for material properties. Hard and soft objects were dropped from predetermined heights onto a force plate imparting peak impact forces of 500, 1000 and 1500 N. The pads were then placed on the plate and subjected to 10 repeated impacts for each pad and drop height.
Institutional laboratory setting.
Peak force attenuation, expressed as the percentage reduction of peak force when compared with the no-pad condition, was calculated. Time to peak impact, expressed as the percentage increase of time to peak impact when compared with the no-pad condition, was calculated.
All pads were found to reduce peak impact force and increase time to peak impact. Results varied between 1% and 70%, depending on the drop height and properties of the impactor. The best performing pad was the thickest, and all pads were best able to attenuate force under hardobject impacts particularly for the lower loads.
Although several limitations exist to laboratory-based studies such as these, the inconsistencies in force attenuation were nonetheless disappointing. The pads appear to ‘‘bottom out’’ under higher-impact loads and therefore offer little protection when the athlete may need it most.
In recent years, discussions have arisen about the potential influence of wearing a ski helmet on an increasing level of risk taking and higher speeds on ski slopes.
To evaluate factors associated with selfreported risk-taking behaviour in recreational skiers and snowboarders.
Speeds of skiers and snowboarders were measured with a radar speed gun and sex, age, nationality, height, weight and helmet use, used type of gear, self-estimated skill level and self-estimated fitness level were recorded. In addition, participants were asked if they considered themselves as cautious or risk-taking skier or snowboarder.
In total, 453 skiers (39.6 (14.8) years) and 74 snowboarders (26.4 (9.6) years) have been interviewed. A stepwise forward logistic regression model revealed five independent factors for a risk-taking behaviour on slopes. Adjusted OR and their 95% CI showed that risk takers were <40 years (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.51 to 3.80), had a higher skill level (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.50), were more likely males (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.26), had a lower body mass index (22.8 vs 24.2) and skied with higher speeds (on average 53 vs 45 km/h) compared to cautious skiers.
Risk-taking behaviour on ski slopes is associated with younger age, higher skiing ability, male sex, lower body mass index and on average higher speeds. Helmet use is not associated with riskier behaviour on slopes. In addition, helmet use has to be recommended because helmet use reduces the risk of head injuries among skiers and snowboarders.
In this study, the injury incidence and association with type and volume of training in international rowers were described.
A prospective cohort design was used over a 12-month period.
20 international rowers who were competing as part of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union squad system.
The rowers were interviewed monthly, and data were collected regarding their training and competition exposure as well as their injury experience.
A mean injury rate of 3.67 per 1000 exposure hours was reported with a total of 44 injuries reported in a 12-month period. The mean number of injuries sustained per athlete was 2.2 (1.24) over the 12-month period. The area where the greatest number of injuries were reported was the lumbar spine (31.82% of total injuries, 95% CI 20 to 50) (fig 2) followed by the knee (15.91% of total injuries, 95% CI 10 to 30) and the cervical spine (11.36% of total injuries, 95% CI 5 to 24). Half of the injuries (22 injuries, 50% of total reported injuries) were to the spine (2 = 30.8, df = 9, p = 0.0003). Ergometer training load was the most significantly associated with injury risk (r = 0.68, p = 0.01).
International rowers are at higher risk of injury than most non-contact sports and some contact sports. The high risk of lumbar spine injury and the significant association of high volume of ergometer training merit further research to reduce time and competition lost to injury.
People with disabilities often depend on assistive devices to enable activities of daily living as well as to compete in sport. Technological developments in sport can be controversial.
To review, identify and describe current technological developments in assistive devices used in the summer Paralympic Games; and to prepare for the London 2012 Games, the future challenges and the role of technology are debated.
A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature and personal observations of technological developments at the Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) Paralympic Games was conducted.
Standard assistive devices can inhibit the Paralympians’ abilities to perform the strenuous activities of their sports. Although many Paralympic sports only require technology similar to their Olympic counterparts, several unique technological modifications have been made in prosthetic and wheelchair devices. Technology is essential for the Paralympic athlete, and the potential technological advantage for a Paralympian, when competing against an Olympian, is unclear.
Technology must match the individual requirements of the athlete with the sport in order for Paralympians to safely maximise their performance. Within the ‘performance enhancement or essential for performance?’ debate, any potential increase in mechanical performance from an assistive device must be considered holistically with the compensatory consequences the disability creates. To avoid potential technology controversies at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the role of technology in sport must be clarified.