Current injury monitoring and player education practices in Irish amateur rugby union

Objectives: To ascertain current injury surveillance and player education practices in Irish amateur rugby union.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Amateur rugby clubs in Ireland.

Participants: Medical professionals and rugby coaches of the top 58 amateur rugby clubs in Ireland.

Main outcome measures: The survey investigated the current injury and training load monitoring practices in operation in Irish amateur rugby. It also explored whether player education sessions regarding injury prevention and concussion recognition and management were conducted in these clubs.

Results: Forty-four clubs completed the survey, giving an overall response rate of 76%. Ninety-one percent of the responding clubs monitored injuries. Sixty-four percent of these clubs operated return to play protocols for all injuries, while 36% operated return to play protocols for concussion only. Injury prevention education was conducted by 71% of these clubs and 82% educated players on concussion recognition and management.

Conclusions: Implementing effective injury monitoring strategies in both amateur and professional sport settings may aid in minimizing injury risk. In Ireland, 91% of the responding clubs monitored injuries and 71% educated players on injury prevention. By implementing one centralized injury surveillance system for Irish amateur rugby, injury trends can be effectively monitored and used to guide prevention strategies.