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| Research Title: |
Influence of environmental and ground conditions on injury risk in rugby league. |
| Type of Research: |
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| Category: |
Environment
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| Keywords: |
Rugby league, Environmental factors, Ground conditions
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| Author(s): |
Tim Gabbett, Amirali Minbashian, Caroline Finch |
| Author(s) Bio Box: |
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| Release Date: |
15 May 2008 |
| Research Summary/Text: |
Rugby league is a physically demanding collision sport in which players experience frequent bouts of high intensity activity and physical collisions and tackles. As a result, musculoskeletal injuries are common. While previous studies of other football codes have identified a relationship between environmental and ground conditions and injury risk, no such study has been undertaken for rugby league. Injuries were prospectively recorded from training sessions and competitive matches played by 156 semi-professional rugby league players over two consecutive seasons. Data collected pertained to number and duration of matches and training sessions, environmental and ground conditions as well as injuries sustained by participants.
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| Research Objectives: |
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental and ground conditions and injury risk in a cohort of rugby league players.
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| Research Outcomes: |
Harder grounds are associated with injuries sustained during matches but not those sustained during training or practice. Less intense physical contact and lower training loads may account for this difference. Low annual rainfall is also associated with a greater injury risk in rugby league, due to its association with ground condition.
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| Research Implications: |
Efforts to reduce the hardness of grounds used in rugby league matches, for example additional irrigation of grounds, may reduce the incidence of injuries.
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| Availability of Full Research Paper: |
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