Characteristics Of Injury In Rugby Union On Artificial And Natural Playing Surfaces

PURPOSE: In many team sports the use of synthetic artificial pitch playing surfaces is common, especially when the playing season spans winter. In amateur community Rugby Union in Ireland there is a mix of both artificial and natural grass surfaces used for training and matches and a need to examine whether there may be injury trends unique to either. This longitudinal study aimed to monitor injury trends which will aid in the development and implementation of future evidence-based injury prevention strategies to minimize injury risk and enhance player welfare. METHODS: A four-year analysis was conducted on 1,881 amateur community rugby players in Ireland competing at the highest club level; 1,472 male and 409 female. Using a bespoke web-based injury recording system (IRISweb) a medic logged all injuries. A 24-hour time loss injury definition was used and injuries were amalgamated for both training and matches. Measures included injury type, body location and severity. RESULTS: The most commonly reported injuries for artificial surface versus natural grass were strain (27% Vs 27%), sprain (26% Vs 24%), haematoma/contusion (12% Vs 10%), concussion (9% Vs 11%), dislocation (6% Vs 4%), laceration (5% Vs 4%) and fracture (3% Vs 7%). There was no statistically significant difference presented between men and women. Injury location findings differed (p < 0.05) based on playing surface with a higher proportion of the reported injuries occurring in the lower body on artificial surfaces (knee 17%, ankle 16%, thigh 14%, shoulder 12%, head 10%) than grass surfaces (head 13%, thigh 13%, shoulder 13%, ankle 11%, knee 11%). Artificial surface lower body injury (59%; 95% CI 0.53-0.64) was greater compared to natural grass (48%; 95% CI 0.46-0.51) (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in injury severity for artificial compared to grass (48 Vs 51 average day’s absence). CONCLUSIONS: A relatively higher incidence of lower body injury was reported on artificial surfaces versus natural grass. Laceration proportion did not differ between playing surface type but it is acknowledged that surveillance of abrasion is required which often does not present under the 24-hour time loss definition. Practitioners should note the most common injuries occurring and develop welfare and reduction strategies around this knowledge.