Evaluating the Use of In-Game Rule Changes as a Primary Prevention Approach to Reduce Injury Risk in Invasion Team...

The rate of injury in invasion team sports is often greater than in non-invasion sports. A preventative measure to reduce injury risk is to implement in-game rule changes aimed at modifying game events or player behaviour.

This study reviewed the use of in-game rule changes in invasion team sports with the aim of reporting the level of utilisation, effectiveness, and unintended consequences.

Scoping review.

Scopus, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science.

In total, 2205 studies were identified, 116 full texts were screened and 47 were included in the final review. Seven sports were found to have assessed in-game rule changes with the most common being ice hockey (n = 18), tackle football (n = 11) and rugby union (n = 7). Rule changes were found to have had the intended effect in 28 studies, while nine found no change and four reported an increase in the rate or cause of injury. The unintended consequences associated with a rule change were assessed by four studies with a further two evaluating several rule changes across multiple seasons.

In-game rule changes were investigated in half of the sports included in the search. Evidence suggests rule changes can be an effective method for reducing injury risk, although unintended consequences need to be considered. Rule changes should be evaluated in a variety of contexts, with an emphasis being placed on researching female populations to address the extensive knowledge gap.