Media and public perception versus clinical use of salivary biomarkers https://x.com/NZRugby/status/1681492457798729728?s=20 Keywords: Concussion, biomarkers, injury management. Introduction: The identification and management of concussion in contact sport remains a critical issue for players, employers, and wider stakeholders. Sports participation should be encouraged, with the well-known myriad of health and social benefits deriving from physical exercise and […]
Tag: rugby
Body on the line: experiences of tackle injury in women’s rugby union – a grounded theory study
In this blog we will explain the results of our recent study published in BJSM. We conducted a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach to capture the tackle injury experiences and behaviours in women’s rugby union. Why is this study important? Women’s Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide (1). Tackle-related injuries […]
The Blue Card in Rugby
Is it being used out of proportion and how can we make it more effective? Key words: Blue Card, Rugby, Concussion Introduction Rugby-related concussion has become one of the most controversial topics in sport, with many former professional players coming forward to discuss the long-term impacts concussion has had on their health and well-being. To […]
Suffering a concussion increases injury risk in male Rugby Union
Key words: concussion, hamstring, ankle, shoulder, rugby Rugby Union has one of the highest injury rates of any team sport, with concussion and lower limb injuries particularly common (1,2). Players also sustain multiple injuries during their career, which may impact their risk of future injuries (3). This blog summarises our recent original research into injury […]
Concussion in professional men’s rugby union: Improvement in detection or increased risk?
Concussion has been the most common injury in English professional men’s rugby since 2011(1), with incidence rising an average of 1.2/1000 hours every season since 2002(2). Multiple sequential refinements to the process for concussion recognition and management have been introduced in that time, including the introduction of the six-stage graduated return-to-play (GRTP) guidelines in 2011 […]
Analysing technique to reduce tackle injury risk in rugby
Part of the BJSM’s #KnowledgeTranslation blog series Why is this topic important? From both a player welfare and team performance perspective, it is of utmost importance that ‘time-loss’ injuries be prevented. To prevent time-loss injuries, we need to identify the leading cause of these injuries and understand ‘what goes wrong’ during them. Understanding what goes […]
Why reinforcing good practice around head #BUMPs and re-thinking what makes us go ‘#OUCH’ could benefit player welfare in rugby
In 2008, research showed that 58% of players diagnosed with concussion after the game had remained on the field after their head injury event(1,2). Since then, we have seen a paradigm shift not only in terms of how head injuries are viewed across the rugby landscape, but also in terms of the processes put in […]
Where do I stand? A game positioning model for medical teams in professional rugby union
Rugby Union involves repeated high intensity and physically confrontational tasks. The majority of injuries occur in games (1, 2) resulting in player welfare initiatives including pitch emergency certification courses, training/game medical standards and increasing numbers of medical personnel to manage these events. In this blog, we propose a game positioning model using a structured monitoring […]
Using rugby as a vehicle to #Really tackle the stigma around mental health
Rugby is a sport more often associated with ‘big hits’ than heart-to-heart conversations. However, we know that at the grassroots level of the game, there are numerous health and wellbeing benefits associated with the sport(1). Whilst a lot of these benefits relate to physical health, we also know that rugby can provide participants with a […]
COVID-19 in professional rugby: A reflection of prevalence in the community.
The three-line summary The number of new weekly COVID-19 cases in professional rugby appears to be related to community COVID-19 cases. When community prevalence is increased, more professional rugby players are likely to have COVID-19. Reducing the interactions that professional rugby players and their households have with the wider community may be required during periods […]