Epidemiology of the Injuries Sustained by Elite Spanish under-18 and under-20 Rugby Players.

This study examines the injuries suffered by players (n=166) of the Spanish national men's under-18 and under-20 rugby teams between 2015 and 2017, and identifies the actions involved in their occurrence. All injuries (total n=78) sustained during matches and training were recorded as recommended by World Rugby, and injury incidence rates per 1000 player-hours (ph) calculated for both types of activity. Injuries occurred more commonly during matches than during training (incidence 105.3 [95% CI: 78.7-131.9] per 1000 [ph] of match play, vs 1.16 [95% CI: 0.69-1.62] per 1000 ph of training), and most days absent per 1000 ph during matches with<3 days rest since the previous match (4209.2 [95% CI: 3516.2-4902.1] per 1000 ph of match play, vs 1947.4 [95% CI: 1511.8-2382.9] per 1000 ph of match play in matches with>3 days rest). These results provide information that may be useful in the development of strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of injuries.

Match Injuries in the Spanish Rugby Union Division de Honor.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the injury rate, severity, cause, anatomical location (tissue damaged), recurrence, place and time during matches throughout a season in the Spanish Rugby Union Division de Honor. METHODS: Observational, prospective and descriptive study conducted in the competition of the Spanish División de Honor de Rugby with 258 players. The data were reported by the medical services of the previously formed clubs. RESULTS: Total exposure was 4100 h, during which 220 injuries occurred. The average number of sick days was 36.8. The total injury rate was 53.6 injuries/1000 h of exposure. Three quarters suffered 93 injuries and the forwards sustained a total of 127 injuries, with a total of 48.6 and 58.1 injuries/1000 h of exposure, respectively. Moderate injuries were the most frequent. Specifically, ligament injury was the most frequent, and dislocation was the injury that caused the most sick days. The most injuries occurred in the third quarter of the match, and the most serious injuries occurred in the second quarter. CONCLUSIONS: The injury rate of Spanish rugby competitors is 53.6 injuries/1000 match hours, with an average of 36.8 sick days. Contact injuries are the most frequent, taking place especially when tackling or being tackled.

Effects of percutaneous neuromodulation in neuromusculoskeletal pathologies: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous neuromodulation (PNM) consists in using electrical stimulation on a peripheral nerve by using a needle as an electrode in order to lessen the pain and restore both neuromuscular and nervous system functions. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the current scientific evidence of the effects of PNM on pain and physical capabilities in neuromusculoskeletal injuries. METHODS: Data sources: There was used the PRISMA protocol. In order to do the literature research, there were used the PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Study selection or eligibility criteria: There were also included experimental clinical trials published between 2010 and nowadays, tested on humans, which feature treatment based on needles with electrical stimulation in order to treat neuromusculoskeletal injuries. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: A quality assessment was performed according to the PEDro scale and reviewed the impact factor and quartile of the journal. RESULTS: The treatment resulted in significant improvement in terms of pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, balance, muscular endurance, functionality/disability, subjective improvement, function of the descending pain modulatory system, and intake of drugs. Limitations: the lack of previous research studies on the subject and the lack of data on opioid intake in the selected studies. CONCLUSION: Treatment based on PNM may be an alternative when treating injuries in soft tissues without significant side effects. However, there are few articles investigating the effects of PNM so more evidence is needed to draw solid conclusions.

The Epidemiology of Injuries in Spanish Rugby Union División de Honor.

BACKGROUND: We describe and analyze injury incidence, severity, cause of injury, anatomical location, damaged tissue, injury recurrence, and the time and place at which injuries occur over the course of a season. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, prospective, nomothetic, and multidimensional study was conducted during the 2018-2019 season with 258 players of the top semiprofessional rugby league in Spain (División de Honor de Rugby). Data were reported by the clubs' medical services. Reported time-loss injuries were collected. RESULTS: Overall exposure was 4100 h (137 matches), over 35 weeks of competition. A total of 288 injuries were reported, with three of these leading to withdrawal from the sport. A total average of 35.63 days was lost to injury. Overall time-loss injury incidence was 3.41 injuries/1000 h of exposure. Backs suffered 119 injuries corresponding to 3.80 injuries/1000 h of exposure, whilst forwards suffered 169 injuries with 4.27 injuries/1000 h of exposure. Severe injuries were the most frequent injury type. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes confirm that more injuries take place during competition, with these also being more severe in nature. Contact injuries were most frequently suffered, above all, due to tackling or being tackled.

Epidemiology of Injuries Sustained by Elite Under-18 Rugby Players.

CONTEXT: The physical nature of rugby is responsible for the high incidence of injuries, but no researchers have examined the epidemiology of injuries sustained by elite under-18 rugby players. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of injuries sustained by players on the Spanish national under-18 rugby team during their participation in 4 European championships (2014-2017) and the types of play in which they occurred. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: European rugby championships. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-eight under-18 rugby players. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): All injuries sustained during the championship periods were recorded per the World Rugby protocol. RESULTS: A total of 40 injuries were logged over the 4 championships. The incidence of injury was higher during matches than during training (P < .05), with 138.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 136.5, 139.6) injuries per 1000 hours of play compared with 1.2 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.3) per 1000 hours of training. With only 2 days of rest between games, the injury rate was higher than with 3 days of rest (P < .05). More injuries were sustained during the third quarter of the game: 13 (44.8%) versus 6 (20.6%) in the last quarter, 5 (17.3%) in the second quarter, and 5 (17.3%) in the first quarter. CONCLUSIONS: The most common injuries during matches were sprains and concussions, and these injuries were more likely to occur during matches than during training. Most injuries were caused by tackles and occurred during the third quarter of the game. These findings indicate that teams should focus on teaching players skills to reduce injuries caused by tackles and warming up properly before returning to the field after halftime. The injury rate was higher with only 2 versus 3 days' rest between games. These results suggest that young players' matches should be at least 72 hours apart.