BACKGROUND: Although there have been reports of injury rates in men's World Cup rugby, there has been no research into injury rates in women's international rugby. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of injury at the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup (WRWC). METHODS: All participating teams in the 2006 WRWC were enrolled prospectively in this study. Healthcare workers for each team collected data on training and game exposure and information on injuries. RESULTS: 55 players (16%) sustained at least one injury (10.0/1000 player hours); 4 players (1%) sustained two injuries. 45 injuries occurred during games (37.5/1000 player hours) and 14 injuries occurred during practice (12.5/1000 player hours), a statistically significant difference (RR = 12.5, 95% CI 6.9 to 22.8). The injury rate was 39.3/1000 player hours for the forwards and 42.2/1000 player hours for the backs (RR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.3). The front row had the highest injury rate (62.5/1000 player hours). 63.6% of injuries occurred during the tackle. Most injuries occurred to the neck, knee and head/face. The majority of injuries were sprains, muscle injuries and contusions. There were five fractures during the event and four reported concussions. CONCLUSION: Female players sustained a considerable rate of injury during the 2006 WRWC. Backs had a slightly higher rate of injury than forwards, but the players most often injured were in the front row. The neck/cervical spine and knee were the most commonly injured regions, followed by the head and face. This is the first study to examine injury rates in female rugby players at a World Cup and reports valuable data in this population.
BACKGROUND: Although there have been reports of injury rates in men's World Cup rugby, there has been no research into injury rates in women's international rugby. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of injury at the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup (WRWC). METHODS: All participating teams in the 2006 WRWC were enrolled prospectively in this study. Healthcare workers for each team collected data on training and game exposure and information on injuries. RESULTS: 55 players (16%) sustained at least one injury (10.0/1000 player hours); 4 players (1%) sustained two injuries. 45 injuries occurred during games (37.5/1000 player hours) and 14 injuries occurred during practice (12.5/1000 player hours), a statistically significant difference (RR = 12.5, 95% CI 6.9 to 22.8). The injury rate was 39.3/1000 player hours for the forwards and 42.2/1000 player hours for the backs (RR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.7 to 2.3). The front row had the highest injury rate (62.5/1000 player hours). 63.6% of injuries occurred during the tackle. Most injuries occurred to the neck, knee and head/face. The majority of injuries were sprains, muscle injuries and contusions. There were five fractures during the event and four reported concussions. CONCLUSION: Female players sustained a considerable rate of injury during the 2006 WRWC. Backs had a slightly higher rate of injury than forwards, but the players most often injured were in the front row. The neck/cervical spine and knee were the most commonly injured regions, followed by the head and face. This is the first study to examine injury rates in female rugby players at a World Cup and reports valuable data in this population.
Authors: Doug King; Patria Hume; Cloe Cummins; Alan Pearce; Trevor Clark; Andrew Foskett; Matt Barnes Journal: Sports Med Date: 2019-10 Impact factor: 11.136
Authors: Cailbhe Doherty; Eamonn Delahunt; Brian Caulfield; Jay Hertel; John Ryan; Chris Bleakley Journal: Sports Med Date: 2014-01 Impact factor: 11.136
Authors: Michael James Hutton; Robert A McGuire; Robert Dunn; Richard Williams; Peter Robertson; Bruce Twaddle; Patrick Kiely; Andrew Clarke; Keyvan Mazda; Paul Davies; Krystle T Pagarigan; Joseph R Dettori Journal: Global Spine J Date: 2016-09-01