Sport concussion assessment in New Zealand high school rugby players: a collaborative approach to the challenges faced in primary care

ABSTRACT

Primary Objective

To describe the collaborative development of a New Zealand Rugby Concussion Assessment (NZRCA) for primary care and to provide normative baseline data from a representative group of high school rugby players.

Methods

This study, conducted over the 2018 and 2019 community rugby season where players were baseline tested during the pre- or start of season period.

Results

Data were collected from 1428 players (males n = 1121, females n = 307) with a mean age of 15.9 ± 1.4 years. The mean ± SD symptom severity score was 11.3 ± 8.6, the mean number of endorsed symptoms was 8.5 ± 5.3 and the percentage feeling “normal” was 80.2 ± 15.3%. Only 5.3% of players reported no symptoms at baseline. The most common reported were: ‘distracted easily’ (72.5%), ‘forgetful’ (68.5%), and ‘often tired’ (62.6%). None of the participants achieved a perfect score for the SAC50. The majority of participants (89.7%) passed the tandem gait test with a time of 12.2 ± 1.7 seconds. Age, gender, and ethnicity were associated with NZRCA performance; albeit weakly.

Conclusion

This study provides normative reference values for high-school rugby players. These data will aid healthcare providers in their identification of suspected concussion in the absence of individualized baselines.

KEYWORDS:

• Rugby union
• concussion
• head injury
• baseline
• normative data

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

DS, JC, KR, and ME are employed by New Zealand Rugby.

Supplimentary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher”s website

Additional information

Funding

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