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Background: Robust surveillance of injury aetiology and epidemiology is recognised as fundamental for effective injury reduction and management programmes. However, while sex-specific differences in injury type and nature are noted in the literature, it is unclear if these are reflected in surveillance practices, and how the athlete is affected., Objective: Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review contact breast injuries (CBIs) among adult female athletes., Methods: The following databases were searched: PubMed, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus including MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus. The literature search was conducted in May 2023 and the search was limited to articles in the English and German language. Studies including female athletes, aged 18 years and above, in any sports (team or individual) at any level (amateur, semi-professional and professional), where an occurrence of CBI was documented were included. Studies were included irrespective of their investigated timeframes (e.g. the whole career, one or multiple seasons). Findings were categorised (e.g. sport, level of competition and investigated timeframe of the study) to enable possible comparisons. Case studies were excluded due to the non-generalisability of findings., Results: Of the six studies included, rugby codes (rugby union, rugby league and rugby sevens) had the highest occurrence rate (62.0%) of CBIs among eight different investigated sports (rugby codes 62.0%, softball 59.5%, Australian Football League (AFL) 51.0%, water polo 50.0%, soccer 46.7%, basketball 27.6-48.8%, volleyball 34.6%, boxing 0.0%). Between 25.6% and 62.0% of participants reported incurring a CBI and between 0.0% and 42.9% of CBIs were reported to a medical professional or support staff. The reported treatment rate for CBIs ranged between 0.0% and 2.1%, The main mechanisms for CBIs (where reported) were contact with another athlete (AFL 37.6%, rugby codes 56%) the ball (AFL 31.6%, rugby codes 25.5%) and the ground (AFL 6.6%, rugby codes 22%). Between 18.2% and 48% of the participants reported that CBIs negatively affected their performance. Risk factors increasing CBIs were positional differences, larger breast size and higher body mass index (BMI). In-season injury data collection and surveillance supported through education of both players and medical staff were identified to be of relevance for future CBI prevention. None of the studies reported incidence rate., Conclusion: Despite the frequent occurrence of CBIs among female athletes, reporting and treatment remains low. Awareness and education of all stakeholders are fundamental to ensuring better breast safety in female sport. Identifying the mechanics, severity and risk factors of CBIs through thorough injury surveillance must be a focus of further research., Registration: The study was preregistered on Open Science Framework (OSF)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There has been a recent increase in research examining training load as a method of mitigating injury risk due to its known detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) takes into account the current training load (acute) and the training load that an athlete has been prepared for (chronic). The ACWR can be calculated using; (1) the rolling average model (RA) and (2) the exponentially weighted moving average model (EWMA)., Objective: The primary aim of this systematic review was to investigate the literature examining the association between the occurrence of injury and the ACWR and to investigate if sufficient evidence exists to determine the best method of application of the ACWR in team sports., Methods: Studies were identified through a comprehensive search of the following databases: EMBASE, Medline, SPORTDiscus, SCOPUS, AMED and CINAHL. Extensive data extraction was performed. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for Cohort Studies., Results: A total of 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. The assessment of article quality had an overall median NOS score of 8 (range 5-9). The findings of this review support the association between the ACWR and non-contact injuries and its use as a valuable tool for monitoring training load as part of a larger scale multifaceted monitoring system that includes other proven methods. There is support for both models, but the EWMA is the more suitable measure, in part due to its greater sensitivity. The most appropriate acute and chronic time periods, and training load variables, may be dependent on the specific sport and its structure., Conclusions: For practitioners, it is the important to understand the intricacies of the ACWR before deciding the best method of calculation. Future research needs to focus on the more sensitive EWMA model, for both sexes, across a larger range of sports and time frames and also combinations with other injury risk factors.

Background: Rugby union is a physically demanding, full-contact team sport that has gained worldwide popularity. The incidence of injury in rugby union has been widely reported in the literature. While comprehensive injury surveillance and prevention programmes have been implemented within the professional game, there is a need for similar strategies in the amateur game. Despite recent increases in the volume of research in rugby, there is little consensus regarding the true incidence rate of match and training injuries in senior amateur male rugby union players., Objective: The aim of the current review was to systematically review the available evidence on the epidemiology of time-loss injuries in senior amateur male rugby union players and to subsequently conduct a meta-analysis of the findings., Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus and Google Scholar electronic databases was performed using the following keywords; ('rugby' OR 'rugby union') AND ('amateur' OR 'community') AND ('injur*' OR 'pain*'). Six articles regarding the incidence of injury in senior amateur male rugby union players, in both matches and training, were retrieved and included in the meta-analysis to determine the overall incidence rate of match injury, with descriptive analyses also provided for other reported variables., Results: The overall incidence rate of match injuries within senior amateur rugby union players was 46.8/1000 player hours [95% confidence interval (CI) 34.4-59.2]. Contact events accounted for the majority of injuries, with the tackler more at risk than the player being tackled, and with respective incidence rates of 15.9/1000 player hours (95% CI 12.4-19.5) and 12.2/1000 player hours (95% CI 9.3-15.1)., Conclusion: This meta-analysis found that the incidence rate of injury in amateur rugby union players was lower than that in professional players, but higher than the incidences reported in adolescent and youth rugby players. By understanding the true incidence and nature of injuries in rugby, injury prevention strategies can best be implemented. Future prevention strategies may best be aimed towards the tackle area, specifically to the tackler, in order to minimize injury risk.

Background: Economy, velocity/power at maximal oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) and endurance-specific muscle power tests (i.e. maximal anaerobic running velocity; vMART), are now thought to be the best performance predictors in elite endurance athletes. In addition to cardiovascular function, these key performance indicators are believed to be partly dictated by the neuromuscular system. One technique to improve neuromuscular efficiency in athletes is through strength training., Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to search the body of scientific literature for original research investigating the effect of strength training on performance indicators in well-trained endurance athletes-specifically economy, [Formula: see text] and muscle power (vMART)., Methods: A search was performed using the MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science search engines. Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria (athletes had to be trained endurance athletes with ≥6 months endurance training, training ≥6 h per week OR [Formula: see text] ≥50 mL/min/kg, the strength interventions had to be ≥5 weeks in duration, and control groups used). All studies were reviewed using the PEDro scale., Results: The results showed that strength training improved time-trial performance, economy, [Formula: see text] and vMART in competitive endurance athletes., Conclusion: The present research available supports the addition of strength training in an endurance athlete's programme for improved economy, [Formula: see text], muscle power and performance. However, it is evident that further research is needed. Future investigations should include valid strength assessments (i.e. squats, jump squats, drop jumps) through a range of velocities (maximal-strength ↔ strength-speed ↔ speed-strength ↔ reactive-strength), and administer appropriate strength programmes (exercise, load and velocity prescription) over a long-term intervention period (>6 months) for optimal transfer to performance.