ABSTRACT

Aim

To describe trends in the incidence of match concussions and time to return-to-play in professional rugby union.

Methods

Match concussion incidence (injuries per 1000 player-match-hours) and time to return-to-play (mean and median days absence) were recorded in 3006 male professional rugby union players over 16 seasons (2002/03 – 2018/19).

Results

From 2002/03 to 2009/10, incidence of concussions was stable at 4.3/1000 player-match-hours. From 2009/10 to 2018/19, there was an increase in concussion incidence, with the highest incidence in 2016/17 at 20.9/1000 player-match-hours (95% CI: 17.9–24.3). Annual prevalence of concussion also increased, suggesting more players were concussed rather than the same players sustaining more concussions. Before the introduction of standardized graduated return-to-play (GRTP) guidelines in 2011, 27% of players returned to play in <6 days. After the introduction of the GRTP, this decreased to 7%, with no players returning in <6 days after 2014/15. Between 2002/03 and 2018/19, incidence of all other injuries remained stable.

Conclusions

From 2009/10 onwards, the incidence of diagnosed concussions increased. Since the introduction of the GRTP, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of players returning in <6 days.

中文翻译：

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男子职业橄榄球联盟比赛脑震荡发生率和重返比赛时间的趋势：一项 16 赛季的前瞻性队列研究

摘要

目的

描述职业橄榄球联盟中比赛脑震荡发生率和恢复比赛时间的趋势。

方法

超过 16 个赛季（2002/03 – 2018/19）在 3006 名职业橄榄球联盟男性球员中记录了比赛脑震荡发生率（每 1000 名球员比赛小时的受伤人数）和重返比赛时间（平均和中位数缺席天数）。

结果

从 2002/03 到 2009/10，脑震荡的发生率稳定在 4.3/1000 球员比赛小时。从 2009/10 到 2018/19，脑震荡发生率有所增加，2016/17 年发生率最高，为 20.9/1000 球员比赛小时数（95% CI：17.9-24.3）。脑震荡的年度患病率也增加了，这表明更多的球员受到了脑震荡，而不是同样的球员遭受更多的脑震荡。在 2011 年推出标准化的分级复赛 (GRTP) 指南之前，27% 的球员在 6 天内复赛。引入 GRTP 后，这一比例下降到 7%，在 2014/15 年之后的 6 天内没有球员回归。2002/03 至 2018/19 期间，所有其他伤害的发生率保持稳定。

结论

从 2009/10 年起，确诊脑震荡的发生率有所增加。自引入 GRTP 以来，<6 天内返回的玩家数量急剧减少。