Prevalence, incidence and risk factors for rugby-related injuries: A survey of the Safari Sevens tournament.
John M Onyancha, Benita Olivier, Joseph M Matheri and 1 others
PMID 39649529WHAT IT FOUND
41.6% of male rugby sevens players at this tournament had a current injury, mostly lower-limb.
Knee and ankle problems were common, and previous injury, surface, tackle contact, and oversize gear were linked with injury.
Key findings
01At the tournament, 41.6% of players had an existing rugby-related injury, and 42.5% of injuries involved the lower limb, especially the knee at 19.1%.
02During match competition, injury incidence was almost a third of the sample over 117.6 player-match hours, with ankle injuries the most common match location at 18.1% and knee injuries next at 12.1%.
03Being tackled was associated with more injuries in the contact phase (p ≤ 0.03). Playing surface had higher reported odds (POR 2.7 pre-competition and POR 1.6 during the tournament), recurrent previous injury had POR 1.28, and oversize protective gear had POR 1.9.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey at a single tournament, so it cannot show cause or change over time. The paper states a target population of 156 players, but Table 1 lists 113 respondents, and it does not clearly state how many were analysed. Only male players aged 18 years and above were included. The risk-factor results come from survey forms and odds ratios, not from a tested prevention programme. Some reported odds ratio confidence intervals in the tables are inconsistent with the point estimates.
Declared interests
The paper states that this research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as proof that a surface, tackle, previous injury, or gear caused the injury. The study was a cross-sectional survey at a single tournament, and it did not test a prevention programme.