Diagnosed concussion is associated with increased risk for lower extremity injury in community rugby players.

OBJECTIVES

To determine (1) the association between lifetime diagnosed concussion and lower extremity musculoskeletal injury (LE-MSI) among community rugby union players and (2) the sex specific risk of LE-MSI given concussion history among males and females.

DESIGN

Retrospective survey.

METHODS

1037 (59.0% male, (612/1037), age: 31.6 ± 11.3 years) rugby players (10.1 ± 8.1 years played) completed an online survey to ascertain injury history. A chi-squared test of association was performed between concussion and LE-MSI; significant outcomes were followed-up with an odds ratio. A binary logistic regression with any LE-MSI (yes/no) as the outcome and concussion (yes/no) and sex (male/female) as predictors was performed to determine if there was a sex by concussion interaction.

RESULTS

There was an overall significant association between concussion and any LE-MSI(χ(1) = 13.055, p < 0.001, OR = 2.30 [95%CI: 1.45, 3.65]). Both male (OR = 2.21) and females (OR = 2.49) had significant associations for concussion and LE-MSI, but there were no differences between sex for risk of LE-MSI (R = 0.024, p = 0.999).

CONCLUSIONS

Community rugby players with a history of concussion are >2× more likely to also experience an LE-MSI than those without a history of concussion. There were no differences in the odds of LE-MSI between males and females with a history of diagnosed concussion. In line with current World Rugby injury prevention programs, future research should aim to reduce LE-MSI incidence to maximize player safety and wellness through targeted injury prevention and teams should utilize a conservative return to play protocols following concussion.