ArticleBMJ open2013
Epidemiology of time-loss injuries in English community-level rugby union.
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Shoulder injuries in rugby union: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Quantifying Collision Frequency and Intensity in Rugby Union and Rugby Sevens: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2022Pooled it
- The Incidence of Injury in Amateur Male Rugby Union: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of concussion in rugby union.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2014Pooled it
- Foam Rolling and Joint Distraction with Elastic Band Training Performed for 5-7 Weeks Respectively Improve Lower Limb Flexibility.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2019Trial
- Efficacy of a movement control injury prevention programme in adult men's community rugby union: a cluster randomised controlled trial.British journal of sports medicine · 2018Trial
- Health amongst former rugby union players: A cross-sectional study of morbidity and health-related quality of life.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Epidemiology of rugby injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026Article
- 'Don't tell the coach': contact breast injury and breast pain in under-18 international female rugby players.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Training load and injury surveillance in Leinster SChoolboy RUgby players: the SCRUm cohort study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Is your system fit for purpose? Female athlete health considerations for rugby injury and illness surveillance systems.European journal of sport science · 2024Review
- Head Acceleration Events in Male Community Rugby Players: An Observational Cohort Study across Four Playing Grades, from Under-13 to Senior Men.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Observational
- Match injuries in English schoolboy rugby union.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2024Article
- Non-contact lower limb injuries in Rugby Union: A two-year pattern recognition analysis of injury risk factors.PloS one · 2024Article
- Injury Occurrence in Amateur Rugby: Prospective Analysis of Specific Predictors over One Half-Season.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- The 50 Most Cited Papers on Rugby since 2000 Reveal a Focus Primarily on Strength and Conditioning in Elite Male Players.Journal of sports medicine (Hindawi Publishing Corporation) · 2023Review
- A Qualitative Exploration of Parents' Perceptions of Risk in Youth Contact Rugby.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Imposing Compulsory Rugby Union on Schoolchildren: An Analysis of English State-Funded Secondary Schools.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Article
- Injuries in underwater rugby: a retrospective cross-sectional epidemiological study.Diving and hyperbaric medicine · 2021Article
- People with chronic ankle instability benefit from brace application in highly dynamic change of direction movements.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesUsing a prospective cohort study design, to establish the incidence and nature of time-loss injuries in English community rugby and to assess the differences between different playing levels.
settingEnglish community rugby clubs.
participantsInjury information for 4635 matches was collected during seasons 2009/2010 (46 clubs), 2010/2011(67 clubs) and 2011/2012 (76 clubs). Clubs were subdivided into groups A (semiprofessional), B (amateur) and C (recreational) for analysis. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Any injury resulting in 8 days or greater absence from match play was reported by injury management staff at the clubs. The primary outcome measure was injury incidence (per 1000 player match-hours) and the secondary outcome measure was severity (ie, days absence).
resultsOverall match injury incidence was 16.9 injuries per 1000 player match-hours. Incidence was higher for group A (21.7; 95% CI 19.8 to 23.6) compared with group B (16.6; 95% CI 15.2 to 17.9) and C (14.2; 95% CI 13.0 to 15.5, both p<0.001). The mean time-loss was 7.6 weeks absence, with knee and shoulder injuries the most severe with mean absences of 11.6 and 9.3 weeks, respectively. Half of all injuries occurred to the lower limb, with knee and ankle joint/ligament injuries the most common diagnoses. Shoulder joint/ligament injuries were the most common and severe upper limb injuries. Contact events accounted for 80% of all injuries and tackles accounted for 50%. Running was the most common non-contact injury event, of which 56% were hamstring injuries.
conclusionsMore time-loss injuries occur at higher levels of community rugby. Injury prevention strategies should focus on good technique in the tackle and conditioning exercises for the knee, ankle, hamstrings and shoulder.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.