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Latest Research
Research Details
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| Research Title: |
Playing conditions, player preparation and rugby injury: a case-control study. |
| Type of Research: |
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| Category: |
Environment
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| Keywords: |
Weather, Ground, Conditions, Warm-up, Preparation, Rugby Position
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| Author(s): |
J C Alsop, L Morrison, S M Williams, D J Chalmers, J C Simpson |
| Author(s) Bio Box: |
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| Release Date: |
14 September 2006 |
| Research Summary/Text: |
Rugby Union is a fast-moving contact sport, in which injuries to players are common. A large number of factors such as player position, phase of play and previous injury are associated with the incidence of rugby injury. There is inconclusive evidence for a number of other factors associated with the game that may affect the risk of injury and these are the subject of this study. It was hypothesised that players would be at increased risk of injury if they had not warmed-up prior to play, playing in other than their normal position, played in warm or wet conditions and played on hard grounds. Also injury risk would be lower in windy conditions due to increase in tactical kicking and reduction in tackles. A total 1043 players participated in the study by completing a questionnaire administered to injured and non-injured players. Self-reported information was gathered on playing position, grade, provincial union, number of seasons of previous rugby-playing experience, age, length of warm-up periods, hardness of playing surface and weather conditions.
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| Research Objectives: |
The aim of this case-control study was to determine whether or not player preparation, ground conditions and weather-related factors affected the risk of injury in rugby.
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| Research Outcomes: |
Study results indicated that injuries were no more likely to occur when players warmed up for 20 minutes or less, compared with longer that 20 minutes, which is at variance with conventional wisdom. There was no evidence that playing out of position contributed to the risk of injuries.
Overall, players were more likely to be injured in games in which the surface was described as “very hard” or “hard” and weather conditions were calm. The presence of precipitation did not significantly affect the risk of injury.
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| Research Implications: |
The influence of the factors (player preparation and playing conditions) may be indirect, through adaptation to the conditions in which a game is played. It is worth considering that the overall effectiveness of warm-up may be a function of both duration and intensity. Also, soft grounds may reduce injury due to cushioning in player-to-ground impacts or a reduction in the speed of play due to the reduced traction resulting in fewer and softer player-to-player impacts.
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