Epidemiology of rugby-related injuries presenting to the emergency department: a 10-year review
Haad Arif BS, Fatima Arif MSc, Jose Morales BS, Ian Waldrop BA, Nicholas Sheets MD
Abstract: Rugby is the ninth most popular sport in the world and is growing at a considerable rate amongst players of all ages and genders despite a considerable risk of injury. Prior studies have conducted focused investigations of rugby-related injuries at a specific level of gameplay, within a specific age group, or for a particular injury. We sought to investigate patterns of rugby-related injuries evaluated in nationwide emergency departments using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database. A total of 2,896 individuals with rugby-related injuries presented to NEISS EDs between 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021. Injuries most commonly occurred among males (73.9%), Caucasians (45.3%), and in the 15–19-year-old age range (44.9%). While interest in rugby is increasing, annual rugby ED visits are declining. The head and neck are the most common sites of injuries amongst all players followed by the shoulder in men and the knee in women. Men are associated with more severe injuries.