844 MEP124 – Head accelerations in youth rugby union: a preliminary study

AbstractBackground Understanding the importance of exposure to repeated head acceleration events (HAE) in contact sports is developing quickly. Exposure to HAE has not been reported in youth rugby union. Objective To describe the frequency and magnitude of HAE in male and female youth (under-15- under-18) rugby players during matches. Design Prospective cohort studySetting Amateur youth rugby teams from colleges, independent schools, and community clubs in England, United Kingdom. Participants 48 female and 77 male youth (ages 16–18) rugby players participating in rugby during the 2022–2023 season. Assessment of Risk Factors Head accelerations were recorded using instrumented mouthguards (v1. 4 boil and bite, Prevent Biometrics, Minnesota, USA) during players' regular rugby participation. Outcome Measures Peak linear acceleration (PLA) (g), peak angular acceleration (PAA) (rads/s²), and frequency of head acceleration/impact events were recorded for accelerations >5g. Results In 85 male-player games, 1419 HAE were recorded; mean of 16. 7 (95%CI: 15. 8–17. 6) HAE per player game. In 92 female-player games, 1129 HAE were recorded; mean of 12. 2 (95%CI: 11. 5–12. 9 HAE per player per game. Mean PLA for the male forward positions was 11g (95% CI: 11–12) ; backs, 14g (95%CI: 13–15). Mean PAA for male forwards was 1035 rads/s² (95%CI: 994–1076) ; backs, 1170 rads/s² (95% CI: 1109–1231). In female forwards, mean PLA 11g (95%CI: 10–12) ; backs, 13g (95%CI: 12–14). Mean PAA in female forwards was 1012 rads/s² (95% CI: 957–1066) ; backs, 1121 rads/s² (95% CI: 1027–1214). In males, 413 HAE occurred between 5–10g; 10–20g, 303; 20–40g, 76; 40–60g, 19; > 60g, one. In females, there were 650 HAEs between 5–10g; 10–20g, 405; 20–40g, 94; 40–60g, 12; > 60g, one. Conclusion Going forward, video verification of HAE and using video footage to identify the events resulting in HAE will provide context to the game event that result in head accelerations.