The influence of playing level on the biomechanical demands experienced by rugby union forwards during machine scrummaging

This study investigated machine scrummaging at different playing levels in rugby union and analysed kinetic factors that might influence performance and injury risk. Thirty‐four forward packs from six different playing levels scrummaged against an instrumented scrum machine under real environmental...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. e178 - e184
Main Authors Preatoni, E., Stokes, K. A., England, M. E., Trewartha, G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Denmark Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2013
Subjects
Athletic Performance
Biomechanical Phenomena - physiology
Biomechanics
Biomechanics (sports techniques)
Compressive Strength
Female
Football - injuries
Football - physiology
Human performance
Humans
impacts
Kinetics
Male
mechanical stresses
Musculoskeletal System - injuries
Risk Factors
Rugby
scrummaging technique
Sports injuries
sports injury
sports performance
Stress, Physiological
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Summary:This study investigated machine scrummaging at different playing levels in rugby union and analysed kinetic factors that might influence performance and injury risk. Thirty‐four forward packs from six different playing levels scrummaged against an instrumented scrum machine under real environmental conditions. Applied forces were measured in three orthogonal directions. The peak (SD) of the overall compression forces during engagement ranged between 16.5 (1.4) kN (International‐Elite) and 8.7 (0.1) kN (Women), while sustained compression forces spanned between 8.3 (1.0) kN (International) and 4.8 (0.5) kN (Women). The peak of the overall vertical force during the initial engagement phase was between −3.9 (0.7) kN (Elite) and −2.0 (1.0) kN (School), and the range of lateral forces was between 1.8 (0.3) kN (International) and 1.1 (0.3) kN (School). Forces measured across all playing levels, particularly during initial engagement, were generally higher than those measured in the most commonly cited previous studies. This increase may be due to a combination of changes in modern scrummaging technique, changes in players' anthropometrics, and experimental conditions that better respect ecological validity. The magnitude of the measured forces is in the range of values that studies on cadaveric specimens have indicated as potentially hazardous for (chronic) spine injuries.
Bibliography:istex:316DBB30A58D594BEC71C7FB921D70C569B934AC
Supplement 1. Pairwise effect sizes(#) for compression force variables. Rows are playing level pairs (I = International, E = Elite, C = Community, A = Academy, W = Women, S = School). Columns are force parameters (please refer to Table  and Fig.  for their description).Supplement 2. Pairwise effect sizes(#) for normalized compression force variables. Rows are playing level pairs (I = International, E = Elite, C = Community, A = Academy, W = Women, S = School). Columns are force parameters (please refer to Table  and Fig.  for their description).Supplement 3. Pairwise effect sizes(#) for shear force variables. Rows are playing level pairs (I = International, E = Elite, C = Community, A = Academy, W = Women, S = School). Columns are force parameters (please refer to Table , Table , and Fig.  for their description).
ArticleID:SMS12048
ark:/67375/WNG-013694V2-6
International Rugby Board (IRB)
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ObjectType-Article-2
ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:0905-7188
1600-0838
DOI:10.1111/sms.12048