Applied Biomechanics Suite 1.308, Sport and Exercise Science Research Group, Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK,
Sports Med. 2013 Oct;43(10):1043-55. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0078-1.
Rugby Union has one of the highest reported incidences of match injuries amongst all professional team sports. The majority of research within this field has focused on elite male cohorts; in this study we present the first meta-analytic review of these data.
The aim of this study was to summarise the incidence and severity of injuries in senior men's professional Rugby Union, and determine the overall effects of level of play, new versus recurrent injuries, playing position, type of injuries, location of injuries, severity of injuries, period of match, and injury incident.
Electronic databases were searched using keywords 'Rugby Union' and 'inj*'. Fifteen papers addressing injuries in senior men's professional Rugby Union (from 1995 through September 2012) were included in the review. A maximum of ten of these papers provided incidence data that could be modelled via a Poisson mixed-effects generalised linear model, while up to nine studies provided severity data that could be modelled via a general linear mixed model. Magnitude based inferences were used to assess differences between factors. A descriptive analysis was provided for studies that could not be included in the pooled analysis due to incongruent injury definitions.
The overall incidence of injuries in senior men's professional Rugby Union matches was 81 per 1,000 player hours (95 % CI 63-105), and 3 per 1,000 player hours (95 % CI 2-4) during training. Estimated mean severity for match injuries was 20 days (95 % CI 14-27), and 22 days (95 % CI 19-24) for training injuries. A higher level of play was associated with a greater incidence of injuries in matches, with no clear difference in severity. New injuries occurred substantially more often than recurrent injuries, while the severity of recurrent injuries was, on average, 10 days (95 % CI 4-17) greater than new injuries. Trivial differences were found in injury incidence and severity between forwards and backs. Muscle/tendon and joint (non-bone)/ligament injuries were the two most prevalent injury groups, whereas fractures and bone stress injuries had the highest average severity. The lower limb was the body region with the highest injury incidence, while upper limb injuries were most severe. The third quarter (40-60 min) of matches had the highest injury rate, and injuries most commonly occurred as a result of being tackled.
This meta-analysis confirms match injury incidence rates in professional Rugby Union can be considered high in comparison with other team sports, but similar to other collision sports. In order to markedly reduce overall injury burden, efforts should target lower-limb injury prevention strategies and technique during contact, as these may render the largest effect.
橄榄球联盟是所有职业团队运动中报告的比赛受伤发生率最高的运动之一。该领域的大多数研究都集中在精英男性队列上；在这项研究中，我们首次对这些数据进行了荟萃分析综述。
本研究的目的是总结资深男子职业橄榄球联盟的受伤发生率和严重程度，并确定比赛级别、新发与复发损伤、比赛位置、损伤类型、损伤部位、损伤严重程度、比赛时间和损伤事件的总体影响。
使用关键字“橄榄球联盟”和“inj*”搜索电子数据库。综述中包含了 15 篇关于资深男子职业橄榄球联盟受伤的文章（1995 年至 2012 年 9 月）。其中最多有 10 篇文章提供了可以通过泊松混合效应广义线性模型进行建模的发生率数据，而多达 9 篇研究提供了可以通过一般线性混合模型进行建模的严重程度数据。使用基于量级的推断来评估因素之间的差异。对于由于不一致的损伤定义而无法纳入汇总分析的研究，提供了描述性分析。
资深男子职业橄榄球联盟比赛中的整体受伤发生率为 81 例/1000 名运动员小时（95%CI 63-105），训练中为 3 例/1000 名运动员小时（95%CI 2-4）。比赛中受伤的平均严重程度估计为 20 天（95%CI 14-27），训练中受伤的平均严重程度为 22 天（95%CI 19-24）。比赛级别越高，受伤的发生率越高，而严重程度则没有明显差异。新发损伤比复发损伤更常见，而复发损伤的严重程度平均比新发损伤高 10 天（95%CI 4-17）。在受伤发生率和严重程度方面，前锋和后卫之间存在微不足道的差异。肌肉/肌腱和关节（非骨骼）/韧带损伤是最常见的两种损伤类型，而骨折和骨骼应力损伤的平均严重程度最高。下肢是受伤发生率最高的身体部位，而上肢受伤则最为严重。比赛的第三季度（40-60 分钟）受伤率最高，受伤通常是由于被擒抱所致。
这项荟萃分析证实，与其他团队运动相比，职业橄榄球联盟比赛中的受伤发生率可被认为较高，但与其他碰撞运动相似。为了显著降低整体受伤负担，应针对下肢损伤预防策略和接触时的技术进行努力，因为这些可能会产生最大的效果。
