Title: | The propensity of non-concussive and concussive head contacts during elite-level women's rugby league matches: A prospective analysis of over 14,000 tackle events |
Contributor(s): | Spiegelhalter, Mily (author); Scantlebury, Sean (author) ; Heyward, Omar (author); Hendricks, Sharief (author); Cummins, Cloe (author) ; Gardner, Andrew J (author); Halkier, Matt (author); McLeod, Shreya (author); Phillips, Gemma (author); Owen, Cameron (author); Jones, Ben (author) |
Publication Date: | 2023-03-10 |
Open Access: | Yes |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jsams.2023.03.003![Open Access Link](/web/OA.png) |
Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/56117 |
Abstract: | | Objectives: Identify the frequency, propensity, and factors related to tackle events which result in contact with the head in elite-level women's rugby league.
Design: Prospective video analysis study.
Methods: Video footage from 59 Women's Super League matches were analysed (n = 14,378 tackle events). All tackle events were coded as no head contact or head contact. Other independent variables included: area contacting head, impacted player, concussion outcome, penalty outcome, round of competition, time in match and team standard.
Results: There were 83.0 ± 20.0 (propensity 304.0/1000 tackle events) head contacts per match. The propensity of head contact was significantly greater for the tackler than ball-carrier (178.5 vs. 125.7/1000 tackle events; in-cident rate ratio 1.42, 95 % confidence interval 1.34 to 1.50). Head contacts occurring from an arm, shoulder, and head occurred significantly more than any other contact type. The propensity of concussions was 2.7/1000 head contacts. There was no significant influence of team standard or time in match on the propensity of head contacts.
Conclusions: The observed head contacts can inform interventions, primarily focusing on the tackler not contacting the ball-carrier's head. The tackler's head should also be appropriately positioned to avoid contact with the ball-carrier's knee (highest propensity for concussion). The findings are consistent with other research in men's rugby. Law modifications and/or enforcement (reducing the number of un-penalised head contacts), concurrent with coaching interventions (optimising head placement or reducing the head being contacted) may help minimise head contact risk factors for women's rugby league.
Publication Type: | Journal Article |
Source of Publication: | Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(3), p. 195-201 |
Publisher: | Elsevier Australia |
Place of Publication: | Australia |
ISSN: | 1878-1861 1440-2440 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 420702 Exercise physiology 420604 Injury prevention |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 130602 Organised sports |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes |
HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Science and Technology
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