Injury patterns in U15 rugby players in Ulster schools: A Rugby Injury Surveillance (RISUS) Study

Abstract

Participation in collision sports such as rugby union has inherent risk of injury. The aim of this study was to examine injury patterns and risk factors in adolescent rugby players (U15 years). A prospective injury surveillance study was undertaken involving 26 schools (599 male rugby players, mean age 14.7years). Data were collected over the 2016/17 playing season, with injuries classified by body part and diagnosis. We explored the association between risk factors (demographic/biometric; injury history, protective equipment, training profile, level of play) using cox proportional hazard models with time to injury as the dependent variable. Nearly, 30% of players (178/599) suffered at least one injury. Injury incidence is estimated at 14.7 injuries/1000 match hours. Most injuries occurred in the tackle situation (64.6%, 135/209). Common injury sites were head/face (n = 95, 45.5%), ankle (n = 21, 10.0%), or wrist/hand (n = 15, 7.2%). Concussion (n = 79, 37.8%), wrist/ hand fractures (n = 19, 9.1%), or ankle sprains (n = 16, 7.6%) were the most common diagnoses. Seven concussions (8.9%) resulted in more than 28 days absence from play. A higher risk of injury was associated with: previous concussion (AHR 1.45; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.06), and any previous injury (AHR 1.85; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.78). One in three U15 rugby players sustained an injury over a single playing season. Concussion remains a concern in this age group and should be prioritized in future research.

Injury Rates, Mechanisms, Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies in Youth Rugby Union: What’s All the Ruck-Us About? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…6 ). Surface type [ 28 , 49 ], player weight [ 31 , 44 ], previous injury [ 31 , 44 ], previous concussion [ 31 , 44 ], use of regular weight training [ 31 , 44 ], position [ 31 , 50 ], match quarter [ 26 , 27 ], exposure type [ 32 ], season [ 26 ], match volume [ 34 ], history of shoulder dislocation [ 51 ] and rugby itself versus other sports [ 52 , 53 ] were reported as significant risk factors in at least one study (Fig. 6 and Table S14, see ESM).…”

“…Eight studies evaluating primary prevention strategies were found in this review, with two focusing on law changes [ 64 , 65 ], four on equipment use [ 31 , 44 , 62 , 63 ], one on education [ 66 ] and one on neuromuscular training (NMT) [ 30 ]. Of these studies, three focused on the prevention of catastrophic injuries [ 64 – 66 ], three on all injury types [ 30 , 62 , 63 ] and four on head/concussion injuries as the primary injury outcome [ 30 , 31 , 62 , 63 ].…”

The Role of Concussion History and Biological Sex on Pupillary Light Reflex Metrics in Adolescent Rugby Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…There are more than 30 school teams with male adolescent rugby players, and 25 registered clubs with dedicated female youth rugby teams, registered across the province of Ulster. Many of these sites have previously been active members of the Rugby Injury Surveillance in Ulster Schools (RISUS) and have successfully collaborated in several previous research studies [ 5 , 9 , 23 ]. We recruited a convenience sample from this sampling frame.…”

Multisystem recovery after sport-related concussion in adolescent rugby players: a prospective study protocol

“…There are more than 30 school teams with male adolescent players, and 25 registered clubs with dedicated female youth teams across Ulster. Many of these sites have previously been active members of the Rugby Injury Surveillance in Ulster Schools and have successfully collaborated in previous studies 4 24 36. To be eligible for inclusion, participants must be (1) aged between 16 years and 18 years, (2) injury free at the time of recruitment and (3) currently playing rugby union in the 2022/23 playing season.…”