Epidemiology and time-loss shoulder injuries in professional South African rugby players : a prospective study that focuses on real-time collision data during a tackle

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dc.contributor.author Louwrens, Jan Gerhardus
dc.contributor.author Jansen van Rensburg, Audrey
dc.contributor.author Viljoen, Carel Thomas
dc.contributor.author Hendricks, Sharief
dc.contributor.author Botha, Tanita
dc.contributor.author Janse van Rensburg, Dina Christina
dc.date.accessioned 2024-03-08T09:25:47Z
dc.date.available 2024-03-08T09:25:47Z
dc.date.issued 2023-10-03
dc.description DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Data sharing not applicable. No new data were created or analyzed in this study. en_US
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND : In rugby, the shoulder contributes to attack/defence during collisions, tackling, falling, scrummaging, and mauling. We investigated the frequency, tissue, and pathology type of shoulder injuries per player position among professional South African rugby players, and compared injury severity in the context of momentum, intensity, and collision variables. METHODS : A prospective study collecting shoulder injury data of 80 male Super Rugby players (>18 years) over 4 seasons (2018–2021). Players wore a Catapult Evo GPS unit during training and match-play, recording performance variables and collision forces during injury. We collected tissue and pathology types of injury from players’ medical files, clinical examinations, and special investigations. RESULTS : Shoulder injuries contributed to 17% of all injuries, ranging from 2 to 34% per year. Forwards (63%) sustained most shoulder injuries, specifically locks (30%). Acromioclavicular (AC) joint (47%) was mostly involved, and ligament/joint capsule (65%) was the most common tissue type injured. Injuries with the highest average momentum resulted in players suffering minimal to mild severity injuries (1–7 days time-loss). Backs (631.15 kgm/s) required less momentum than forwards (816.00 kgm/s) to suffer injuries resulting in >28 days time-loss (p = 0.008). Backs encountered higher match intensity (67.76 m/min, p = 0.031) and highest average collisions (0.28/min) without suffering more severe (>28 days time-loss) injuries. Match intensity of >60 m/min resulted in more than 55% of shoulder injuries. CONCLUSION : One in six injuries in this cohort was shoulder-related. Forwards, specifically locks, sustained most shoulder injuries. The AC joint was the tissue type that mainly contributed. Backline players were involved in higher velocity contact, game intensity, and collision frequency but suffered fewer injuries. However, they required less momentum to sustain more severe injuries. en_US
dc.description.department Physiotherapy en_US
dc.description.department Sports Medicine en_US
dc.description.librarian am2024 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-being en_US
dc.description.uri https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci en_US
dc.identifier.citation Louwrens, J.G.; Jansen van Rensburg, A.; Viljoen, C.T.; Hendricks, S.; Botha, T.; Janse van Rensburg, D.C. Epidemiology and Time-Loss Shoulder Injuries in Professional South African Rugby Players: A Prospective Study That Focuses on Real-Time Collision Data during a Tackle. Applied Science 2023, 13, 10944. https://DOI.org/10.3390/app131910944. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2076-3417
dc.identifier.other 10.3390/app131910944
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/95115
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher MDPI en_US
dc.rights © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. en_US
dc.subject Shoulder injuries en_US
dc.subject Rugby en_US
dc.subject Contact en_US
dc.subject GPS en_US
dc.subject Severity en_US
dc.subject SDG-03: Good health and well-being en_US
dc.title Epidemiology and time-loss shoulder injuries in professional South African rugby players : a prospective study that focuses on real-time collision data during a tackle en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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