Allan David, Tooby James, Starling Lindsay, Tucker Ross, Falvey Éanna C, Salmon Danielle M, Brown James, Hudson Sam, Stokes Keith A, Jones Ben, Kemp Simon P T, O'Halloran Patrick, Cross Matt, Tierney Gregory
Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, Belfast, UK.
Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Belfast, UK.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2024 Oct 4;10(4):e001954. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001954. eCollection 2024.
To examine the likelihood of head acceleration events (HAEs) as a function of previously identified risk factors: match time, player status (starter or substitute) and pitch location in elite-level men's and women's rugby union matches.
Instrumented mouthguard data were collected from 179 and 107 players in the men's and women's games and synchronised to video-coded match footage. Head peak resultant linear acceleration (PLA) and peak resultant angular acceleration were extracted from each HAE. Field location was determined for HAEs linked to a tackle, carry or ruck. HAE incidence was calculated per player hour across PLA recording thresholds with 95% CIs estimated. Propensity was calculated as the percentage of contact events that caused HAEs across PLA recording thresholds, with a 95% CI estimated. Significance was assessed by non-overlapping 95% CIs.
29 099 and 6277 HAEs were collected from 1214 and 577 player-matches in the men's and women's games. No significant differences in match quarter HAE incidence or propensity were found. Substitutes had higher HAE incidence than starters at lower PLA recording thresholds for men but similar HAE propensity. HAEs were more likely to occur in field locations with high contact event occurrence.
Strategies to reduce HAE incidence need not consider match time or status as a substitute or starter as HAE rates are similar throughout matches, without differences in propensity between starters and substitutes. HAE incidence is proportional to contact frequency, and strategies that reduce either frequency or propensity for contact to cause head contact may be explored.
根据先前确定的风险因素（比赛时间、球员状态（首发或替补）以及精英级男女英式橄榄球联盟比赛中的球场位置），研究头部加速事件（HAEs）发生的可能性。
从男子和女子比赛的179名和107名球员处收集装有仪器的护齿数据，并与视频编码的比赛录像同步。从每个HAE中提取头部峰值合成线性加速度（PLA）和峰值合成角加速度。确定与擒抱、带球或ruck相关的HAE的场地位置。计算每个球员小时在PLA记录阈值范围内的HAE发生率，并估计95%置信区间。计算导致HAE的接触事件在PLA记录阈值范围内的百分比作为倾向，并估计95%置信区间。通过不重叠的95%置信区间评估显著性。
在男子和女子比赛中，从1214场和577场球员比赛中收集到29099次和6277次HAE。在比赛时段的HAE发生率或倾向方面未发现显著差异。在较低的PLA记录阈值下，男子替补球员的HAE发生率高于首发球员，但HAE倾向相似。HAE更有可能发生在接触事件发生率高的场地位置。
降低HAE发生率的策略无需考虑比赛时间或球员作为替补或首发的状态，因为整个比赛中的HAE发生率相似，首发球员和替补球员之间的倾向没有差异。HAE发生率与接触频率成正比，可以探索降低接触频率或接触导致头部接触倾向的策略。
