Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciencesen_US
dc.contributor.advisorYeung, Ella (RS)-
dc.contributor.advisorYeung, Simon (RS)-
dc.contributor.advisorStewart, Nathan (RS)-
dc.creatorMirsafaei Rizi, Rezvan-
dc.identifier.urihttps://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/9114-
dc.languageEnglishen_US
dc.publisherHong Kong Polytechnic University-
dc.rightsAll rights reserveden_US
dc.titleIdentifying risk factors for severe injuries in rugby playersen_US
dcterms.abstractThe game of rugby is physically demanding with many physical collisions and tackles leading to musculoskeletal injuries. The players require not only a wide range of individual skills but also well-developed fitness qualities. The role of physical fitness however, in the prevention of injury is not well understood. Due to the high incidence of severe injuries and the consequences, it is critical to identify risk factors to develop adequate injury prevention strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of physical fitness parameters on the risk of severe injuries in rugby players in different levels of play and in different formats. Two prospective studies were conducted in this study. In season 2014-15, a study was conducted to amateur athletes on rugby-7s teams which included 104 university rugby players (90M : 14F) aged 20.6 ± 1.9 years (mean ± SD). For season 2015-16, another study was conducted on 135 rugby-15s players which included 74 semi-professional players (47M: 27F) and 61 amateur players (44M: 17F) aged 24.1 ± 4.00 years. Players underwent pre-season assessments of power, strength, speed, agility, endurance, stability and flexibility. Throughout the season, rugby-related injury and exposure data were collected. Potential predictor variables were analyzed using Cox regression model to identify risk factors associated with severe injuries (time loss > 28 days). The findings of the study revealed that the incidence of severe injuries for the match in amateur rugby-7s players was 22.2/1000 player hours and in rugby-15s was 14.7 and 12.8/1000 player hours for amateur and semi-professional players respectively. For amateur rugby 7-s players, female gender (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 8.35; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 2.01-34.8), slower (adjusted HR = 3.51; 95% CI = 1.17-10.5) and less agile (adjusted HR = 2.22; 95% CI =1.26-3.92) players as well as players with hip flexors tightness (adjusted HR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.00-1.25) were at significantly greater risk of sustaining severe injuries. For amateur rugby-15s players, those with greater body weight (adjusted HR = 6.84; 95% CI = 1.8-26.3) and poorer balance ability (adjusted HR = 4.38; 95% CI = 1.1-17.9) were at significantly higher risk of severe injuries. There was no significant predictor for severe injuries in semi-professional players. These findings highlight the importance of pre-season screening for amateur players to identify athletes who are at higher risk of injury; that may have implications towards injury prevention. The development of gender-specific injury prevention measures that emphasize speed and agility for rugby-7s players and balance training for rugby-15s players may be important to reduce the risk of severe injuries.en_US
dcterms.extentxvi, 210 pages : color illustrationsen_US
dcterms.isPartOfPolyU Electronic Thesesen_US
dcterms.issued2017en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelPh.D.en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelAll Doctorateen_US
dcterms.LCSHHong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertationsen_US
dcterms.LCSHRugby football injuriesen_US
dcterms.LCSHRugby football playersen_US
dcterms.LCSHSports injuriesen_US
dcterms.accessRightsopen accessen_US

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
991021959947003411.pdfFor All Users4.51 MBAdobe PDFView/Open


Copyright Undertaking

As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:

  1. I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
  2. I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
  3. I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.

By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.

Show simple item record

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/9114