INJURY IN RUGBY LEAGUE - A 4 YEAR PROSPECTIVE SURVEY

Objective-To investigate the incidence of injury in English profession al rugby league over a period of four playing seasons. Methods-All inj uries that were received by players during match play were recorded. E ach injury was classified according to site, type, player position, te am playing for, activity at the time of injury, and time off as a resu lt of injury. Results-The overall injury rate was 114 (95% confidence interval 105 to 124) per 1000 playing hours, the most frequent type of injury were muscular injuries [34 (29 to 40) per 1000 playing hours], while the most frequently injured site was the head and neck region [ 38 (16 to 25) per 1000 playing hours]. Players received the largest pe rcentage of injuries when being tackled [46.3% (41.9 to 50.7)], most i njuries required less than one week away from playing and training [70 .1% (66.1 to 74.2)], and forwards had a higher injury rate than backs (139 v 93 injuries per 1000 hours). Conclusions-The high rates of inju ry in rugby league are undoubtedly due to the high amount of bodily co ntact in the game. Being tackled has the highest risk of injury, becau se of being hit forcibly by other players. Forwards suffer higher inju ry rates than backs, probably because they are involved in a larger nu mber of physical collisions.