783 MEP073 – Epidemiology of time-loss match and training injuries in amateur female rugby union in Scotland

AbstractBackground Despite the rapid growth in amateur female rugby union (rugby), both globally and in Scotland, injury epidemiology is currently unknown.Objective To understand the injury trends in amateur female rugby in Scotland.Design Prospective cohort study, using time-loss injury definitions and procedures in line with the Community Rugby Consensus guidelines.Setting 8 national level amateur female rugby teams in Scotland (August 2022-May 2023).Participants 148 amateur female rugby players (86 forwards, 62 backs), age 27.7±6.43.Assessment of Risk Factors Match and training exposure.Main Outcome Measures Injury incidence (injuries/1000 player-hours), severity, burden (mean days lost/1000 player-hours), type, location and mechanism.Results Injury incidence in matches and training was 22.15 (95%CI: 16.3–28.0) and 0.72/1000 player hours (95%CI: 0.2–1.2), respectively. Severity ranged from 3–254 days with a median value of 22 and 17 days lost in matches and training, respectively. Resulting in a burden of 948 days lost/1000 player match hours and 13 days lost/1000 player training hours. The head (31%) in matches and hamstrings (38%) in training were the most common injury locations. The most common injury types were ligament tear/sprains and concussion (both 25%) in matches, and in training muscle tear/strains (75%). The tackle was responsible for the most contact injuries (tackling 34%; being tackled 41%), running and other non-contact were responsible for the most non-contact injuries (36% each). Forwards were more likely to sustain an injury (forwards 62.5% vs backs 37.5%), with the back row sustaining the largest proportion of injuries.Conclusion In keeping with previous literature in other populations, injury incidence was higher in matches than training, with the head most commonly injured location and ligament injuries the most common type. These data provide important insights into the injury epidemiology of female amateur rugby players, which could be used to inform female injury prevention and future research.