Article ID: 2303
Purpose: The protocol on graduated return to play (GRTP) after concussion was revised in August 2022 for Japanese rugby. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of injures, including concussion, in male college rugby players and to compare the frequency of these incidents before and after the revision of the GRTP protocol following a concussion.
Methods: This study adopted epidemiological observational research design. We recorded the total number of injuries including concussions, the number of days until return to play after a concussion, and the recurrent concussions among 101 male collegiate rugby players of one team before (September to December 2021) and after (September to December 2022) the revision of GRTP protocol. We calculated the exposure time in rugby matches and trainings, the incidence rate per 1000 hours (injuries/1000 h), the 95% confidence interval (95% CI), and the rate ratio.
Results: During the study period, 146 injuries occurred. The incidence of all injures was significantly lower after the GRTP revision (6.2 injuries/1000 h; 95% CI, 4.7 - 7.6) than before the GRTP revision (8.9 injuries/1000 h; 95% CI, 6.9 - 10.9) (Rate Ratio = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48 - 0.92). The incidence of concussion was also significantly lower after the GRTP revision (0.7 concussions/1000 h; 95% CI, 0.2 - 1.2) in comparison to before the revision (1.7 concussions/1000 h; 95% CI, 0.8 - 2.6) (Rate Ratio = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.18 - 0.92). The rate of recurrent concussions dropped from 18.7% before the GRTP protocol revision to 0% following the protocol’s revision.
Conclusions: We investigated the incidence of all injuries among male collegiate rugby players before and after the revision of the staged GRTP protocol following a concussion. And observed a decrease in the incidence of both injuries and concussions following the revision.
