A three-year epidemiological prospective cohort study of rugby league match injuries from the European Super League

Fitzpatrick, Anna C.; Naylor, Adam; Myler, Peter; Robertson, Colin M.

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2017.08.012

Cited by 46 publications

(65 citation statements)

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“…The first main finding was that the incidence of injury in this group was 85 (67-103) injuries per 1000 hours. Injury incidence determined in this study was similar to that reported for professional ESL rugby league (Fitzpatrick et al, 2017) players (78 injuries per 1000 hours). When comparing across rugby codes, the injury incidence reported here was greater than English Academy rugby union (47 injuries per 1000 hours) (Palmer-Green et al, 2013), and similar to that of senior professional rugby union (81 injuries per 1000 hours) (Williams, Trewartha, Kemp, & Stokes, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The region, type and mechanism of injury were similar in this study compared with previous research (Fitzpatrick et al, 2017;Gabbett 2008a;Hoskins et al, 2006;. Ligament sprains were the most frequent type of injury, and the lower limb was the most frequently injured body region.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…The mean severity of injuries in English academy rugby league (22 ± 19 days), is similar what has been reported for professional ESL competition (24, 95%CI 17-30 days) (Fitzpatrick et al, 2017), and as a result the injury burden across competitions is similar (professional 1872 vs. academy 1898 injured days per 1000 player-match hours).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…For example, in professional rugby league, the knee and hamstring are among the most frequently injured body sites (Fitzpatrick et al, 2017), while in this study the shoulder, head and ankle were the most frequently injured body sites. High frequencies of shoulder, and ankle injuries have previously been reported in youth rugby league (Gabbett 2008a;Orr & Cheng, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 47%

“…Due to the physically intense nature of the sport and the frequency at which collisions occur, musculoskeletal injuries are common in rugby league (Hoskins, Pollard, Hough, & Tully, 2006). A number of independent epidemiological studies of rugby league exist, however these are largely focused on the elite/professional levels of the game (Fitzpatrick, Naylor, Myler, & Robertson, 2017;Gabbett, Ullah, & Finch, 2012;Gissane, White, Kerr, Jennings, & Jennings, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incidence and characteristics of injury in under-19 academy level rugby league match play: A single season prospective cohort study

Tee

Till

Jones

2018

Journal of Sports Sciences

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Academy rugby league competition is an important step along the pathway to professional status, but little is known about injury at this level of the game. The aim of this research was to establish the nature, incidence and burden of injury in English academy rugby league. Using an observational prospective cohort study design, and a time-loss injury definition, the injury outcomes of three professional rugby league academies were recorded during the 2017 season. A total of 87 injuries occurred in 59 matches for an overall injury incidence of 85 (95%CI 67-103) injuries per 1000 hours played. The mean severity of injury was 22 ± 19 days resulting in an overall injury burden of 1898 (95%CI 1813-1983) days lost per 1000 hours. The tackle event was the most common cause of injury (77% of all injuries). Forwards sustained a greater proportion of injuries than backs (forwards 67% vs. backs 33% of injuries). Concussion (13 (6-20) per 1000 hours) and ankle sprains (11 (4-17) per 1000 hours) were the most commonly diagnosed injuries. The shoulder joint was the most commonly injured site (17 (9-25) per 1000 hours). The incidence of injury for academy rugby league is similar to senior professional rugby league.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 47%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incidence and characteristics of injury in under-19 academy level rugby league match play: A single season prospective cohort study

Tee

Till

Jones

2018

Journal of Sports Sciences

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Effects of treatment dosage of whole‐body cryotherapy upon post‐match recovery of endocrine and biochemical markers in elite rugby league players: An experimental study

Naylor

Edwards

Robertson³

2023

Health Science Reports

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Background and Aims: The use of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) for athletic recovery is becoming increasingly popular despite the lack of evidence supporting the dosage parameters in its implementation. The aim of the current study was to investigate the dose-response effects of WBC following match-play in elite rugby league players. Methods: We observed endocrine (salivary cortisol and testosterone) and biochemical (creatine kinase) responses following three separate post-match recovery periods in elite rugby league players. Comparisons were made between a single exposure (3 min at −120°C to -−135°C) of WBC to two consecutive exposures (2 × 3 min), to a control (no exposure) during the recovery trials. Recovery characteristics were measured 36 h prematch, immediately postmatch, and 60 h postmatch. Results: Cortisol concentrations remained unchanged in its pattern of response during the postmatch recovery periods across all WBC doses. Testosterone concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.0005) at 60 h, in the WBC2 trial. The Testosterone:Cortisol ratio increased significantly (p < 0.0005) at 60 h in the WBC2 trial, while during the WBC0 trial it did not recover to baseline levels. No significant effect on creatine kinase concentration was observed, although a statistical trend was shown in WBC2 for improved reduction of this marker at 60 h. Conclusions: These findings suggest that two, consecutive exposures to WBC immediately following fatiguing rugby league competition appear to stimulate an increase to the anabolic endocrine profile of participants by 60 h post-match, and may reduce the CK concentration. Coaches and athletes should consider the treatment dosage of WBC when used to optimize the desired response following a high-stress environment.

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Cumulative Sport-Related Injuries and Longer Term Impact in Retired Male Elite- and Amateur-Level Rugby Code Athletes and Non-contact Athletes: A Retrospective Study

et al. 2020

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Background Rugby union and rugby league are popular team contact sports, but they bring a high risk of injury. Although previous studies have reported injury occurrence across one or several seasons, none have explored the total number of injuries sustained across an entire career. As the first to do so, the aim of this study was to report on cumulative injuries and their perceived long-term impact in retired rugby code athletes compared to athletes from non-contact sports. Methods One hundred and eighty-nine former rugby code athletes (rugby union n = 145; rugby league n = 44) and 65 former non-contact athletes were recruited to the UK Rugby Health Project between September 2016 and December 2018. Details on sports participation, sports injuries and concussion history, sports injury-related surgeries, and previous and current health were obtained from a validated, online self-report questionnaire. Results Former elite rugby code athletes (n = 83) reported more total injuries per player (median 39, IQR 35) than former amateur rugby code athletes (n = 106; median 23, IQR 30; p = 0.014) and non-contact sports athletes (n = 65; median 7.5, IQR 15; p < 0.001). Concussion was the most frequently reported injury for the elite and amateur rugby code groups, followed by upper/lower back and knee ligament injuries. These injuries also presented with the highest recurrence. Rugby code groups reported a higher continued impact of previous concussion, neck injuries, shoulder dislocation, ACL tears, and knee ligament injuries (p = 0.003–0.045). The reported prevalence of osteoarthritis was more than twofold greater in the elite rugby code group than in non-contact athletes (51% v 22%, p < 0.001). The prevalence of back pain and/or severe and regular joint pain was high across all groups (47–80%), particularly the elite rugby code group. The total number of joint injuries and sport injury-related surgeries was higher in those who reported current osteoarthritis and current severe and regular joint pain (p < 0.001–p = 0.028). Conclusion Across multiple injury types, past participation in rugby union and rugby league, particularly at elite level, is associated with a high cumulative injury load and a continued impact of previous injuries post-retirement. Given the high number of reported concussions (and their recurrence) and associations between previous injuries during a player’s career and current musculoskeletal conditions, efforts should be prioritized to reduce the occurrence and recurrence of injuries in rugby codes at all levels of the sport. Strategies should also be developed for supporting the specific physical health needs of rugby code athletes post-retirement.

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A three-year epidemiological prospective cohort study of rugby league match injuries from the European Super League

Cited by 46 publications

References 24 publications

Incidence and characteristics of injury in under-19 academy level rugby league match play: A single season prospective cohort study

Incidence and characteristics of injury in under-19 academy level rugby league match play: A single season prospective cohort study

Effects of treatment dosage of whole‐body cryotherapy upon post‐match recovery of endocrine and biochemical markers in elite rugby league players: An experimental study

Cumulative Sport-Related Injuries and Longer Term Impact in Retired Male Elite- and Amateur-Level Rugby Code Athletes and Non-contact Athletes: A Retrospective Study

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