Video analysis of concussion injury mechanism in under-18 rugby

It might be a relatively small study to draw any firm conclusions from, but it's an interesting read, and gives what sounds like sensible advice to coaches.




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"For the concussive events analysed, the players were unaware of the impending contact. This finding is in line with Garraway et  al who found that tackle injury was more likely to occur when the player was unaware of opponents’movements. An explanation for this is that a player can sustain far greater forces without injury if the cervical muscles are tensed, which occurs when the athlete anticipates the collision. It is postulated that activating the neck and posterior shoulder muscles reduces the risk of concussion by mobilising the head, thereby decreasing the resultant acceleration of impact to the head."

"The majority of concussive events took place in the fourth quarter. This finding is consistent with previous literature, highlighting the role of fatigue in concussion risk. A reduction in tackle technique proficiency has also been associated with fatigue in rugby league players, increasing the potential for unsafe tackles. In ice hockey, in-game fatigue was a significant predictor of concussion. This may warrant the need to coach contact technique during a state of fatigue for safe and effective execution during match play."

"The tackle situation contributed 50% of concussion injuries, which is higher than previously reported. The low sample size of this study, however, needs to be considered. The majority of injurious tackles were classified as ‘front-on’ with injury occurring to the tackler, a finding consistent with others who found that tackles from the front resulted in more injuries."

"When a player tucks his chin on his chest into the ‘down’ position during a tackle, the risk for head or neck injury increases."

"In 7 of the 10 concussive events, the injured player was either stationary or moving at a pace categorized as‘slow’. In particular, most injured tacklers were categorised as either ‘stationary’ or ‘slow’, suggesting that difference in speed is a risk factor for concussion. Speed differences on contact during rugby have been noted before as a risk factor for injury in rugby."

"In the majority of injuries to the tackler, leg drive by the tackler was observed to be ‘absent’. BokSmart recommendations on safe tackling techniques emphasise the need for a player to maintain leg drive after contact. This particular technical point also increases the probability of tackle success."

"On the basis of the findings, training interventions aimed at improving peripheral vision, targeted conditioning programmes to reduce the effects of fatigue and emphasising safe and effective playing techniques should be structured with the goal of reducing the risk of concussion."