- Title
- Compliance with return-to-play regulations following concussion in Australian schoolboy and community rugby union players
- Creator
- Hollis, Stephanie; Stevenson, Mark; McIntosh, Andrew; Shores, E Arthur; Finch, Caroline
- Date
- 2012
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/58195
- Identifier
- vital:5448
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2011.085332
- Identifier
- ISSN:0306-3674
- Abstract
- Background: There is a risk of concussion when playing rugby union. Appropriate management of concussion includes compliance with the return-to-play regulations of the sports body for reducing the likelihood of premature return-to-play by injured players. Purpose: To describe the proportion of rugby union players who comply with the sports body's regulations on returning to play postconcussion. Study design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: 1958 community rugby union players (aged 15–48 years) in Sydney (Australia) were recruited from schoolboy, grade and suburban competitions and followed over ≥1 playing seasons. Club doctors/physiotherapists/coaches or trained injury recorders who attended the game reported players who sustained a concussion. Concussed players were followed up over a 3-month period and the dates when they returned to play (including either a game or training session) were recorded, as well as any return-to-play advice they received. Results: 187 players sustained ≥1 concussion throughout the follow-up. The median number of days before players returned to play (competition game play or training) following concussion was 3 (range 1–84). Most players (78%) did not receive return-to-play advice postconcussion, and of those who received correct advice, all failed to comply with the 3-week stand-down regulation. Conclusions: The paucity of return-to-play advice received by community rugby union players postconcussion and the high level of non-compliance with return-to-play regulations highlight the need for better dissemination and implementation of the return-to-play regulations and improved understanding of the underlying causes of why players do not adhere to return-to-play practices.
- Relation
- British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 10 (2012), p. 735-740
- Rights
- Unknown copyright
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences; 09 Engineering; 13 Education
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