A survey of rugby injuries attending an accident & emergency department

A prospective study was carried out on 242 patients attending an Accident & Emergency Department with injuries sustained while playing rugby football. The average age was 19.8 years. Head and neck injuries were more prevalent but less serious then in studies carried out before recent law changes. The lower limb was still the part of the body most frequently injured but again there were fewer serious injuries. There was a marked increase in upper limb injuries. Wing forward was the position most likely to give rise to injuries and prop was the least. Poor compliance is still a significant problem with rugby injuries can only lead to an improvement in the safety of the game.