Shoulder

injuries are common in contact and collision sports, including ice hockey (15%),8 rugby league (10%),9 and Australian Rules football (8%).20 In previous studies of professional rugby union players, shoulder injuries have accounted for between 9 % and 11 % of all injuries2,3,11 and for a high proportion (15%) of days absent from playing and training due to injury.2,3 Although a small number of injuries were reported (4 shoulder injuries), the proportion of shoulder injuries that were recurrences has also been high (75%),11 suggesting that effective rehabilitation is dif-ficult to achieve. A thorough understanding of the incidence, nature, severity, and causes of injuries enables coaches and medical staff to review the adequacy of their injury pre-vention and rehabilitation strategies and to inform the planning of training programs.24 Observational and experimental studies have provided insights into poten-tial shoulder injury mechanisms,17,22 and studies in American football15 and ice hockey18 have sought to iden-tify risk factors for shoulder injuries. However, the find-ings from these studies may not be applicable to rugby union. For example, the playing positions and phases of play specific to rugby union might reasonably be expected to constitute unique risks. Contemporary literature documents a high incidence of shoulder injuries among athletes playing contact sports involving collision; however, evidence-based information on risk factors specific to shoulder injuries sustained in professional rugby union is very limited. The aims of this epidemiologic study were to describe the incidence, sever-ity, and risk factors associated with shoulder injuries in professional rugby union. This will inform the develop-ment of evidence-based injury management strategies with the objective of reducing the injury burden to rugby players and clubs