INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of injury data on women`s rugby, and less on the Olympic format of Rugby-7s among the amateur playing population (Lopez et al., 2012; Ma et al., 2016). The aim was to determine medical attention (no time-loss) injury incidence in U.S. women`s Rugby-7s. METHODS: A prospective epidemiology study of U.S. women Rugby-7s (6,768 players; 564 teams), in multi-level USA Rugby and USA Sevens LLC tournaments (2010-2014). Incidence (per 1000 player-hour (ph)) and biomechanism of medical attention injuries were captured via the Rugby Injury Survey & Evaluation (RISE) Report methodology (Lopez et al., 2012), adhering to the rugby consensus statement (Fuller et al., 2007). Medical attention injuries were injuries with no absence from play. RESULTS: Medical attention injury rate was found at 84.4/1000 ph (n=356). Amongst positions, injuries were found at similar rates (backs: 60%, 59.3/1000ph, n=143; forwards: 40%, 53.6/1000ph, n=97; RR=1.11; P=0.447). Most injuries were acute (95%) occurring during the tackle (67%). Most match injuries were from a shoulder tackle (70%) (backs 72%; forwards 62%; RR=1.32; P=0.113). Recurrent injuries occurred at 25%. Lower extremity ligament sprains (53%) were most common, among injury types, muscle/tendon injuries were most common overall at 41% (backs 41/1000ph; forwards 42/1000ph; P=0.998). Knee injuries occurred more frequently in forwards (23%) than backs (16%; P<0.213). Head/neck injury rates, were 22% of all injuries. The sub-acute head contusion rate, where players were physician-cleared to return to sport was 6% (3.5/1000ph). CONCLUSION: Documentation of medical-attention incidents is recommended in the literature, as this is likely to capture a far greater number of ailments, than time loss injuries alone and will therefore, provide a more inclusive picture of the true burden of injury and illness in a community population as compared to only studies on elite women. A panoptic view of rugby-7s injury rates collected by international standards among community rugby, provides fundamental gender injury data, to guide injury prevention protocols by stakeholders to guide player welfare. Head/neck and upper extremity injury rates (both at around 21%) support an emphasis on tackling techniques for injury reduction. A program, including contact-based-awareness, for women newly introduced to this collision-sport, would nurture injury prevention. Furthermore, adherence on return to play protocols would decrease recurrent injury rates seen in this gender-specific cohort.
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