{ "abstract": "Objectives To evaluate the association between tackle characteristics and suspected concussion among Canadian high school girls’ rugby union players.Methods A case–control video-analysis study was used to examine the association between a priori tackle characteristics (eg, type, height, head position) and suspected concussion. For every concussive tackle event, six non-concussive tackle events were matched for game and team. Penalised logistic regression was used to estimate ORs with 95% CIs for concussion given tackle characteristics.Results 33 concussive tackle events, including 38 concussions, were identified. 20 were ball carrier concussions (53%). 261 (228 non-concussive, 33 concussive) tackle events, including 632 individual tackler and ball carrier instances, were coded. All ball carrier head contact intensity types were associated with concussion compared with no head contact. A trip tackle type (OR: 4.41, 95% CI 1.25 to 15.61), illegal tackle type (OR: 4.41, 95% CI 2.67 to 7.29), deceleration (OR: 14.03, 95% CI 4.65 to 42.30) and no change of speed (OR: 18.81, 95% CI 10.04 to 35.24) increased concussion odds for ball carriers. A tap (OR: 10.64, 95% CI 2.00 to 56.62) and trip tackle type (OR: 5.91, 95% CI 3.18 to 10.99), two (OR: 3.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 10.07) or three (OR: 13.91, 95% CI 1.74 to 111.53) tacklers within the event, and a head-down position (OR: 40.54, 95% CI 27.78 to 59.18) increased concussion odds for tacklers. Higher tackler contact on ball carrier (tackle height) increased concussion odds for ball carrier (reference: knee-to-upper-leg; waist-to-sternum OR: 2.27, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.80; sternum-to-armpit OR: 5.65, 95% CI 1.40 to 22.87) and tacklers (sternum-to-armpit OR: 4.20, 95% CI 1.26 to 14.03).Conclusion Numerous tackle characteristics were associated with ball carrier and tackler concussion. This is the first study to identify tackle height on ball carrier as a risk factor for concussion in girls’ rugby. Future directions should consider tackle training programmes and lower tackle height as potential concussion prevention solutions.", "authors": [ { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada" ], "name": "Isla J Shill" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Universities of Edinburgh and Bath, Edinburgh and Bath, UK", "Centre for Health, and Injury & Illness Prevention in Sport, Department of Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK" ], "name": "Stephen W West" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada" ], "name": "Jean-Michel Galarneau" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada" ], "name": "Julia Omokuale" }, { "affiliations": [ "Division of Physiological Sciences and Health, Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS) Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa", "Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK" ], "name": "Sharief Hendricks" }, { "affiliations": [ "Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada", "BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada" ], "name": "Ian Pike" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Universities of Edinburgh and Bath, Edinburgh and Bath, UK", "Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK" ], "name": "Debbie Palmer" }, { "affiliations": [ "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Universities of Edinburgh and Bath, Edinburgh and Bath, UK", "Centre for Health, and Injury & Illness Prevention in Sport, Department of Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK", "Rugby Football Union, London, UK" ], "name": "Keith A Stokes" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "O’Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada" ], "name": "Brent E Hagel" }, { "affiliations": [ "Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "O’Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada", "Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada" ], "name": "Carolyn A Emery" } ], "title": "Tackle characteristics and suspected concussion: recommendations to improve high school girls’ rugby tackle safety", "uid": "e56247ae-d252-5169-b392-0dfee2b7f2a8" }