Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Sports Medicine - Open
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
31017
Abstract
Background: Rugby league is a full-contact collision sport with an inherent risk of concussion. Wearable instrumented technology was used to observe and characterize the level of exposure to head impacts during game play.
Purpose: To verify the impacts recorded by the x-patch™ with video analysis.
Study design: Observational case series.
Methods: The x-patch™ was used on eight men’s semi-professional rugby league players during the 2016 Newcastle Rugby League competition (five forwards and three backs). Game day footage was recorded by a trained videographer using a single camera located at the highest midfield location to verify the impact recorded by the x-patch™. Videographic and accelerometer data were time synchronized.
Results: The x-patch™ sensors recorded a total of 779 impacts ≥ 20 g during the games, of which 732 (94.0%) were verified on video. In addition, 817 impacts were identified on video that did not record an impact on the sensors. The number of video-verified impacts ≥ 20 g, per playing hour, was 7.8 for forwards and 4.8 for backs (range = 3.9–19.0). Impacts resulting in a diagnosed concussion had much greater peak linear acceleration (M = 76.1 g, SD = 17.0) than impacts that did not result in a concussion (M = 34.2g, SD = 18.0; Cohen’s d = 2.4).
Conclusions: The vast majority (94%) of impacts ≥ 20 g captured by the x-patch™ sensor were video verified in semi-professional rugby league games. The use of a secondary source of information to verify impact events recorded by wearable sensors is beneficial in clarifying game events and exposure levels.
DOI
10.1186/s40798-019-0182-3
Access Rights
free_to_read
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research Themes
Health
Priority Areas
Exercise, nutrition, lifestyle and other interventions for optimal health across the lifespan
Comments
Carey, L., Stanwell, P., Terry, D. P., McIntosh, A. S., Caswell, S. V., Iverson, G. L., & Gardner, A. J. (2019). Verifying head impacts recorded by a wearable sensor using video footage in rugby league: A preliminary study. Sports Medicine - Open, 5.
Available here.