Baseline concussion assessment performance of community-based senior rugby players: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Objective

To report pre-season baseline concussion assessment performance among senior rugby players and explore associations between assessment performance and player demographics.

Design

A cross-sectional study using the New Zealand Rugby Concussion Assessments (NZRCA), comprising symptom, cognitive and dynamic coordination assessments was conducted in the 2018–2019 season.

Methods

Players’ baseline assessments were characterised using descriptive statistics; effect sizes (ES) and t-tests were used to explore associations between player demographic characteristics and NZRCA performance.

Results

A total of 733 players (11.4% female) aged between 16 and 52 years completed the NZRCA. The median (range) value for symptom severity, endorsed symptoms and “percentage normal” was respectively, 5 (0–40), 5 (0–21) and 90% (30–100%). A perfect standardised assessment of concussion score was achieved by one participant; seven achieved ≥27/30 for immediate recall, and 22 achieved a perfect delayed recall score. Most participants (n = 674, 92%) passed the tandem gait test. Associations between NZRCA performance and gender, concussion history, and Pasifika ethnicity were observed with effect sizes ranging from small (0.18) to large (0.70). Six hundred and twenty-three (85%) participants reported at least one symptom.

Conclusions

The results from this study could help support decision-making by clinicians, improving the management of concussions in the community setting.

KEYWORDS:

• Concussion
• baseline
• management
• rugby
• normative

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the high schools and clubs for working with us and the players and coaches who volunteered to participate. We would also like to thank the Provincial Rugby Unions who agreed to participate in the study and for their assistance with the recruitment of schools and coaches. We would also like to thank Janelle Romanchuk, Jody McGowan, Jayden Pinfold, Sarah Kay, and Bella Anastasiou who assisted with the data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study as part of New Zealand Rugby’s National Concussion Initiative was provided by Accident Compensation Corporation through the RugbySmart program; The Accident Compensation Corporation; World Rugby.