Time to level the playing field between men and women - Given similar injury incidence: A two-season analysis of match injuries in elite men and women's (Super League) rugby league.
J Sci Med Sport
; 2024 Jul 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39043494
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To compare match injury incidence, severity and burden in men's and women's elite rugby league.DESIGN:
A prospective cohort epidemiological study.METHODS:
Time loss match injury data were collected from all men's (11,301 exposure hours) and women's (5,244 exposure hours) Super League clubs.RESULTS:
Injury incidence and burden were not different between men and women (mean [95â¯% CI]; 54 [45 to 65] vs. 60 [49 to 74] per 1000 match-hours; pâ¯=â¯0.39, and 2332 [1844 to 2951] vs. 1951 [1560 to 2440] days lost per 1000 match-hours; pâ¯=â¯0.26). However, injury severity was greater for men than women (42 [35-50] vs. 35 [29 to 42]; pâ¯=â¯0.01). Lower limbs accounted for 54â¯% and 52â¯% of injuries for men and women, with the head/face the most frequently injured location due to concussion (12 [10 to 15] and 10 [8 to 14] per 1000 match-hours for men and women). Injuries to the knee had the greatest burden for men and women (708 [268-1868] and 863 [320-2328] days lost per 1000 match-hours). Being tackled was the most common injury mechanism for men and women (28â¯% and 38â¯%) with greater burden (pâ¯<â¯0.01) than other injury mechanisms.CONCLUSIONS:
Male and female rugby league players have similar injury incidence and burden; however, injury severity was higher in men. Head/face injuries have the highest injury incidence and knee injuries have the highest burden. These injuries should be the focus for prevention initiatives at a league (via laws), player, and coach level, with equal and specific focus for both men's and women's rugby league players.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
J Sci Med Sport
Journal subject:
MEDICINA ESPORTIVA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication: