Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate head kinematic variables in elite men’s and women’s rugby union and their ability to predict player removal for an off-field (HIA1) head injury assessment.

Methods

Instrumented mouthguard (iMG) data were collected for 250 men and 132 women from 1865 and 807 player-matches, respectively, and synchronised to video-coded match footage. Head peak resultant linear acceleration (PLA), peak resultant angular acceleration (PAA) and peak change in angular velocity (dPAV) were extracted from each head acceleration event (HAE). HAEs were linked to documented HIA1 events, with ten logistical regression models for men and women, using a random subset of non-case HAEs, calculated to identify kinematic variables associated with HIA1 events. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used to describe thresholds for HIA1 removal.

Results

Increases in PLA and dPAV were significantly associated with an increasing likelihood of HIA1 removal in the men’s game, with an OR ranging from 1.05–1.12 and 1.13–1.18, respectively. The optimal values to maximise for both sensitivity and specificity for detecting an HIA1 were 1.96 krad⋅s⁻², 24.29 g and 14.75 rad⋅s⁻¹ for PAA, PLA and dPAV, respectively. Only one model had any significant variable associated with increasing the likelihood of a HIA1 removal in the women’s game—PAA with an OR of 8.51 (1.23–58.66). The optimal values for sensitivity and specificity for women were 2.01 krad⋅s⁻², 25.98 g and 15.38 rad⋅s⁻¹ for PAA, PLA and dPAV, respectively.

Conclusion

PLA and dPAV were predictive of men’s HIA1 events. Further HIA1 data are needed to understand the role of head kinematic variables in the women’s game. The calculated spectrum of sensitivity and specificity of iMG alerts for HIA1 removals in men and women present a starting point for further discussion about using iMGs as an additional trigger in the existing HIA process.

中文翻译：

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在英格兰精英级俱乐部男子和女子橄榄球联盟比赛的赛季中，与场外头部受伤评估 （HIA1） 事件相关的头部运动学

 目标

本研究的目的是调查精英男子和女子橄榄球联盟中的头部运动学变量，以及它们预测球员移场以进行场外 （HIA1） 头部受伤评估的能力。

 方法

分别收集了 1865 场和 807 场球员比赛中 250 名男性和 132 名女性的仪器化护齿器 （iMG） 数据，并与视频编码的比赛录像同步。从每个头部加速度事件 （HAE） 中提取头部峰值合成线性加速度 （PLA） 、峰值合成角加速度 （PAA） 和角速度峰值变化 （dPAV）。HAE 与记录的 HIA1 事件相关联，使用非病例 HAE 的随机子集，为男性和女性提供 10 个 logistical 回归模型，计算以确定与 HIA1 事件相关的运动学变量。受试者工作特征曲线 （ROC） 用于描述 HIA1 去除的阈值。

 结果

PLA 和 dPAV 的增加与男子比赛中去除 HIA1 的可能性增加显著相关，OR 范围分别为 1.05-1.12 和 1.13-1.18。检测 HIA1 的灵敏度和特异性最大化的最佳值分别为 PAA、PLA 和 dPAV 的 1.96 krad⋅^s-2、24.29 g 和 14.75 rad⋅^s-1。只有一个模型具有与增加女子比赛中 HIA1 去除的可能性相关的显著变量——PAA 的 OR 为 8.51 （1.23–58.66）。女性 PAA、PLA 和 dPAV 的敏感性和特异性最佳值分别为 2.01 krad⋅s⁻²、25.98 g 和 15.38 rad⋅s⁻¹。

 结论

PLA 和 dPAV 可预测男性 HIA1 事件。需要进一步的 HIA1 数据来了解头部运动学变量在女子比赛中的作用。计算出男性和女性 HIA1 去除的 iMG 警报的敏感性和特异性范围为进一步讨论在现有 HIA 过程中使用 iMG 作为额外触发因素提供了一个起点。