Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States. Issue 1 (20th January 2021)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States. Issue 1 (20th January 2021)
- Main Title:
- Concussion-Reporting Behavior in Rugby: A National Survey of Rugby Union Players in the United States
- Authors:
- Miller, J. Chance
Stein, Kenneth Shubin
Moon, Tyler J.
Trofa, David P.
Kerr, Hamish
Bottiglieri, Thomas
Ahmad, C.S. - Abstract:
- Background: Rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the United States for male and female athletes. It is a contact/collision sport with an injury risk profile that includes concussions. Purpose: To examine the prevalence of concussions in male and female rugby players in the United States and to characterize behaviors around reporting concussions that could be a target for prevention and treatment efforts. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: An online survey distributed to active members on the USA Rugby membership list was used to examine self-reported concussions in male and female athletes. Concussion-reporting behaviors and return to play after a concussion were also explored. Statistical analysis was used to compare male with female athletes and report differences, with years of experience as a dependent variable. Results: The proportion of athletes with a history of at least 1 concussion was 61.9% in all respondents. Of those who reported a concussion, 50.8% reported the concussion during the game or practice in which it occurred, and 57.6% reported at least 1 concussion to a qualified medical provider. Overall, 27.7% of participants who reported ≥1 rugby-related concussion in our survey noted that at least 1 of these concussions was not formally reported. The most commonly cited reasons for not reporting a concussion included not thinking that it was a serious injury, not knowing that it was a concussion at the time, and not wantingBackground: Rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the United States for male and female athletes. It is a contact/collision sport with an injury risk profile that includes concussions. Purpose: To examine the prevalence of concussions in male and female rugby players in the United States and to characterize behaviors around reporting concussions that could be a target for prevention and treatment efforts. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: An online survey distributed to active members on the USA Rugby membership list was used to examine self-reported concussions in male and female athletes. Concussion-reporting behaviors and return to play after a concussion were also explored. Statistical analysis was used to compare male with female athletes and report differences, with years of experience as a dependent variable. Results: The proportion of athletes with a history of at least 1 concussion was 61.9% in all respondents. Of those who reported a concussion, 50.8% reported the concussion during the game or practice in which it occurred, and 57.6% reported at least 1 concussion to a qualified medical provider. Overall, 27.7% of participants who reported ≥1 rugby-related concussion in our survey noted that at least 1 of these concussions was not formally reported. The most commonly cited reasons for not reporting a concussion included not thinking that it was a serious injury, not knowing that it was a concussion at the time, and not wanting to be pulled out of the game or practice. Additionally, 61.0% of athletes did not engage in recommended return-to-play protocols after their most recent rugby-related concussion. Conclusion: US rugby union athletes may not report concussions to medical personnel or follow return-to-play protocols guided by medical advice. This could result from a lack of education on concussion recognition and the risks associated with continued play after a concussion as well as limited access to health care. Further education efforts focusing on the identification of concussions, removal from play, and return-to-play protocols are necessary in the US rugby union population. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. Volume 9:Issue 1(2021)
- Journal:
- Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine
- Issue:
- Volume 9:Issue 1(2021)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 9, Issue 1 (2021)
- Year:
- 2021
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2021-0009-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2021-01-20
- Subjects:
- head injuries/concussion -- rugby -- concussion reporting
Sports medicine -- Periodicals
Orthopedics -- Periodicals
Arthroscopy -- Periodicals
Arthroplasty -- Periodicals
Knee -- Surgery -- Periodicals
616.7 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sagepublications.com/ ↗
- DOI:
- 10.1177/2325967120972141 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2325-9671
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 14910.xml