Head injury assessment in youth men's rugby league players: An evaluation of game play characteristics and video review of potential concussion signsKey Points

Andrew J. Gardner; Martin A. Lang; Suzi Edwards; Ben Jones; Grant L. Iverson; Douglas P. Terry

JSAMS Plus (Dec 2024)

Head injury assessment in youth men's rugby league players: An evaluation of game play characteristics and video review of potential concussion signsKey Points

Andrew J. Gardner,
Martin A. Lang,
Suzi Edwards,
Ben Jones,
Grant L. Iverson,
Douglas P. Terry

Affiliations

Andrew J. Gardner: Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia; Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom; Corresponding author. Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Martin A. Lang: School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
Suzi Edwards: Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
Ben Jones: Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom; England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Manchester, United Kingdom; Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Cape Town and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa; Premiership Rugby Limited, London, United Kingdom
Grant L. Iverson: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation, Charlestown, MA, USA; Mass General Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, Boston, MA, USA
Douglas P. Terry: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Center for Cognitive Neurosurgical Studies, Nashville, TN, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 4
p. 100072

Abstract

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Background: Rugby league is a popular collision sport among Australian adolescent and young adult men. Concussion is one of the more common injuries in rugby league. Few studies have examined concussion in youth rugby league. To examine medically diagnosed concussions from a single season within two elite-level pathway rugby league competitions by evaluating game play risk factors and conducting a video review of potential concussion signs. Methods: All players involved in the Queensland Rugby League's (QRL) under 18 years and under 20 years age group competitions during the 2019 season were included in this study. Data included all head injury assessments (HIAs) identified in real-time through the QRL injury surveillance system for these two QRL age group competitions. The purpose of this study was to (i) report the rates of HIAs and medically diagnosed concussions; (ii) examine video signs of potential concussion; (iii) review game play risk factors related to HIAs and concussions; and (iv) determine the number of days until a concussed player returned to match play and the number of subsequent games missed by concussed players. Results: There were 86 HIAs and 30 medically diagnosed concussions from the two competitions. The concussion incidence was 2.93 per 1000 player match hours in the under 18-year age group and 5.75 per 1000 player match hours in the under 20-year age group. Slow to stand was the most commonly observed video sign (78.6%; 22/28 concussions). Most concussed players (91%, 21/23) missed at least one subsequent game (M = 1.4, SD = 1.7, range = 0–7 games), with the average days to return-to-play being 15.7 (SD = 7.0, range = 7–41 days). Conclusions: In elite-level pathway rugby league, the incidences of HIAs and medically diagnosed concussions were higher in the under 20 age group than the under 18 age group. Both age groups had lower incidences of HIAs and concussions than professional adult rugby league players. Return-to-play following concussion was similar across the two age groups and differed considerably compared to the elite level, with a longer time before return to play for the younger elite level development pathway players.

Published in JSAMS Plus

ISSN: 2772-6967 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Recreation. Leisure: Sports; Medicine: Internal medicine: Special situations and conditions: Sports medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/jsams-plus

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