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Oztag: high risk for hand injuries?
Andrew Raymond1, Varun Harish1, Steve Merten1
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Oztag hand injuries, though potentially infrequent, can be severe, particularly fractures from attempted tackles. This low-contact sport poses risks to young players, necessitating awareness and further study.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Traumatology
Background:
- Oztag is a low-contact Australian rugby code.
- It is perceived as safer than high-contact rugby codes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and nature of Oztag-related hand injuries.
- To identify high-risk injury mechanisms in Oztag.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of emergency department records (Jan 2011-Oct 2013).
- Identification of Oztag-related hand injuries via electronic records search.
Main Results:
- Twenty-eight hand injury presentations were recorded.
- Middle phalangeal fractures were the most common injury (six), often requiring surgery.
- Attempted tackles were the most frequent injury mechanism, significantly increasing the need for operative management.
Conclusions:
- Oztag can cause serious hand injuries, impacting a young, working demographic.
- The 'tag' tackle technique presents a high risk of injury.
- Increased awareness and prospective injury audits are recommended for Oztag.
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