The acute:chronic workload ratio predicts injury: high chronic workload may decrease injury risk in elite rugby league players

AimInvestigate whether acute workload (1 week total distance) and chronic workload (4-week average acute workload) predict injury in elite rugby league players.MethodsData were collected from 53 elite players over two rugby league seasons. The ‘acute:chronic workload ratio’ was calculated by dividin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of sports medicine Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 231 - 236
Main Authors: Hulin, Billy T, Gabbett, Tim J, Lawson, Daniel W, Caputi, Peter, Sampson, John A
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine 01.02.2016
BMJ Publishing Group
BMJ Publishing Group LTD
Subjects:
Athletes
Athletic Injuries - etiology
Clinical medicine
Cricket
Data collection
Fatigue
Fitness
Football - injuries
Global positioning systems
GPS
Humans
Injuries
Injury
Male
Original article
Ratios
Risk Factors
Rugby
Sports injuries
Studies
Training
Workload - statistics & numerical data
Workloads
Young Adult
Training
Fatigue
Injury
Fitness
ISSN:0306-3674, 1473-0480, 1473-0480
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:AimInvestigate whether acute workload (1 week total distance) and chronic workload (4-week average acute workload) predict injury in elite rugby league players.MethodsData were collected from 53 elite players over two rugby league seasons. The ‘acute:chronic workload ratio’ was calculated by dividing acute workload by chronic workload. A value of greater than 1 represented an acute workload greater than chronic workload. All workload data were classified into discrete ranges by z-scores.ResultsCompared with all other ratios, a very-high acute:chronic workload ratio (≥2.11) demonstrated the greatest risk of injury in the current week (16.7% injury risk) and subsequent week (11.8% injury risk). High chronic workload (>16 095 m) combined with a very-high 2-week average acute:chronic workload ratio (≥1.54) was associated with the greatest risk of injury (28.6% injury risk). High chronic workload combined with a moderate workload ratio (1.02–1.18) had a smaller risk of injury than low chronic workload combined with several workload ratios (relative risk range from 0.3 to 0.7×/÷1.4 to 4.4; likelihood range=88–94%, likely). Considering acute and chronic workloads in isolation (ie, not as ratios) did not consistently predict injury risk.ConclusionsHigher workloads can have either positive or negative influences on injury risk in elite rugby league players. Specifically, compared with players who have a low chronic workload, players with a high chronic workload are more resistant to injury with moderate-low through moderate-high (0.85–1.35) acute:chronic workload ratios and less resistant to injury when subjected to ‘spikes’ in acute workload, that is, very-high acute:chronic workload ratios ∼1.5.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:0306-3674
1473-0480
1473-0480
DOI:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094817