Rugby Codes Research Group (RCRG) - Interdisciplinary Research

• We are part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Network and are researching ways that are contributing to brain health.
• Concussions and impact studies for rugby code - Dr Doug King
• Head gear impact studies - Dr Elizabeth Bradshaw
• Psychology and social aspects of New Zealand League Academy players - Dr Sarah-Kate Miller
• World Rugby/NZR/AUT NZ RugbyHealth project - Professor Patria Hume et al.
• Navigating Two Worlds: Pacific Contribution to Leadership within the New Zealand Rugby System - Associate Professor Lesley Ferkins et al. - Pacific Island Experiences and Contribution to Non-Playing Rugby - Ferkins et al.
• UK Rugby Health study - Dr Karen Hind et al.
• Neuromuscular function and musculoskeletal health in retired rugby players - Ian Entwistle
• Neck strength and spine an neck injury prevention in rugby union and league - Mike Hopkinson
• Keoi University Rugby and Blues Rugby research project - Dr Sayumi Iwamoto et al.
• Meaning and sensemaking in high performance sport - John Paul Alder
• U.S. Rugby 7's injury - Dr Victor Lopez Jr
• Lower-extremity symmetry and ACL injury - Dr Scott Brown
• RuFIT study - Dr Ralph Maddison
• Wearable resistance training - Kim Simperingham
• Japan rugby codes research presentations - Professor Patria Hume et al.
• Rugby Club Capability: Developing Rugby Club Capability across Wider Auckland through Board Leadership and Governance - Scott Crawford
• Secondary School Rugby: Testing actions to redress declining participation - Chris Barron

• Hind K, Konerth N, Entwistle I, Hume PA, Theadom A, Lewis G, et al. Mental health and wellbeing of retired elite and amateur rugby players and non-contact athletes and associations with sports-related concussion: the UK Rugby Health Project. Sports Medicine. 2021. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01594-8.
• Hind K, Konerth N, Entwistle I, Theadom A, Lewis G, King D, et al. Cumulative sport-related injuries and longer term impact in retired male elite- and amateur-level rugby code athletes and non-contact athletes: A retrospective study. Sports Medicine. 2020;20(11):2051-61. doi 10.1007/s40279-020-01310-y
• Lewis GN, Hume PA, Stravric V, Brown S, Taylor D. NZ Rugby Health study: Motor cortex excitability in retired elite and community level rugby players. New Zealand Medical Journal. 2017;130(1448):34-44.
• Hume PA, Theadom A, Lewis G, Quarrie K, Brown SR, Hill R et al. A comparison of cognitive function in former rugby union players compared to former non-contact sport players and the impact of concussion history. Sports Medicine. 2016:1-12. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0608-8.
• Hume PA, Lewis G, Theadom A, Brown S, Quarrie K, Raftery M, et al. Player Fact Sheet: World Rugby/NZ Rugby/Auckland University of Technology RugbyHealth project. Auckland: Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; 2015 12th May 2015. [Fact sheet]

Find more group publications

Grants gained

• A 2-year prospective injury epidemiological analysis of Rugby Sevens in North America
  Awarding body: National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE)
  Amount and duration: US$250,000 for 2 years)
  Principal investigators: Answorth Allen, Victor Lopez, Robert Cantu, Patria Hume, Richard Ma, Meryle Weinstein, Arun Gupta

• Rugby Codes Research Group (RCRG) governance and technology expansion programme
  Awarding body: Auckland University of Technology Strategic Research Investment Fund
  Amount: NZ$250,000 gained of $540,000 requested
  Principal investigators: Lesley Ferkins, Patria Hume, Matt Brughelli. Associate investigators: Roy Nates, Stephen Reay, Enrico Haemmerle, Doug King, Coral Ingley, Nic Gill, Alice Theadom, Gwyn Lewis, Anna Lorimer

• The IRB/NZR/AUT RugbyHealth project
  Awarding body: World Rugby (previously International Rugby Board)
  Project aim: to better understand the long‐term physical and psychological effects of rugby

• IRB/AUT IRB/AUT/USC/UOA rugby player equipment review
  Awarding body: World Rugby
  Project aim: to identify products suitable for playing rugby by those who are visually impaired, have hearing disabilities or require prosthetics.

Awards

• AUT University Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences New Emerging Research Team Award in 2012 and commended in the Vice-Chancellor Research Awards

Conducted scientific studies to create evidence

Epidemiology analysis

We have determined the extent of the problem, nature and causes via epidemiology analysis using the ACC national database and participant cohort studies:

• King D, Hume PA, Hardaker N, Pearce A, Cummins C, Clark T. Traumatic brain injuries in New Zealand: National Insurance (Accident Compensation Corporation) claims from 2012 to 2016. Journal Neurological Science. 2019;399:61–8.
• Theadom A, Starkey NJ, Dowell T, Hume PA, Kahan M, Feigin V. Sports-related brain injury in the general population: An epidemiological study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2014.
• Theadom A, Mahon S, Hume P, Starkey N, Barker-Collo S, Jones K, Majdan M, Feigin VL.  Incidence of sports related traumatic brain injury of all severities: A systematic review. Neuroepidemiology, 2020, 54(2):192-199. https://doi.org/10.1159/000505424
• King DA, Hume PA, Clark TN, Foskett A, Barnes MJ. Training injury incidence in amateur women’s rugby union in New Zealand over two consecutive seasons. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2021;24:544–8.
• King DA, Hume PA, Cummins C, Clark TN, Gisanne C. Concussion incidence for two levels of senior amateur rugby league in New Zealand, 2008-2011. Sports Medicine Rehabilitation Journal. 2018;3(1):Article 1026.
• Theadom A, Feigin VL, Reith FCM, Maas AIR. Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury. In Youmans and Winn (Eds) Neurological Surgery, 8^th Edition, 2020.

Retired player studies

We have conducted retired player studies that have gained international media attention and have helped changed policy and practice internationally:

• Hume PA, Lewis G, Theadom A, Brown S, Quarrie K, Raftery M, et al. Player Fact Sheet: World Rugby/NZ Rugby/Auckland University of Technology RugbyHealth project. Auckland: Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; 2015 12th May 2015.
• Hume PA, Theadom A, Lewis G, Quarrie K, Brown SR, Hill R, et al. A comparison of cognitive function in former rugby union players compared to former non-contact sport players and the impact of concussion history. Sports Medicine. 2016;47(6):1209-20.
• Lewis GN, Hume PA, Stravric V, Brown S, Taylor D. NZ Rugby Health study: Motor cortex excitability in retired elite and community level rugby players. New Zealand Medical Journal. 2017;130(1448):34-44.

• Hind K, Konerth N, Entwistle I, Theadom A, Lewis G, King D, et al. Cumulative sport-related injuries and longer term impact in retired male elite- and amateur-level rugby code athletes and non-contact athletes: A retrospective study. Sports Medicine. 2020;20(11):2051-61.
• Hind K, Konerth N, Entwistle I, Hume PA, Theadom A, Lewis G, et al. Mental health and wellbeing of retired elite and amateur rugby players and non-contact athletes and associations with sports-related concussion: the UK Rugby Health Project. Sports Medicine. 2021. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01594-8.

Biomechanics studies to quantify head impacts

We have conducted a series of biomechanics studies to quantify head impacts during training and play for men and women, children and adults, amateur to professional players:

• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Kieser D, Clark T. Head impact exposure from match participation in women’s rugby league over one season of domestic competition. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2018;21(2):139-46.
• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Clark T. Head impacts in a junior rugby league team measured with a wireless head impact sensor: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. 2017;19(1):13-23.
• King D, Hume PA, Clark T, Gisanne C. Does playing away from home influence the number and severity of impacts in amateur rugby union players: Analyses by home/away, won/lost and first/second season halves. Annal Sports Med Res. 2020;7(3):7.
• King D, Hume PA, Cummins C, Gissane C, Clark T, Hecimovich M. Head impact biomechanics: Comparison between sports and genders. Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport. 2018;36:S3-4.
• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Clark T. Similar head impact acceleration measured using instrumented ear patches in a junior rugby union team during matches in comparison with other sports. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics 2016;18(1):65–72.
• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Clark T. Head impacts in a junior rugby league team measured with a wireless head impact sensor: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. 2017;19(1):13-23.
• King DA, Hume PA, Brughelli M, Gissane C. Instrumented mouthguard acceleration analyses for head impacts in amateur rugby union players over a season of matches. Am J Sport Med. 2015;43(3):614-24.

Studies with women

We have conducted studies specifically with women:

• King D, Barnes M, Hume PA, Cummins C, Pearce AJ, Clark TN, et al. Match and training injuries in women’s rugby union: A systematic review of published studies. Sports Medicine. 2019.
• King DA, Hume PA, Clark TN, Hind K, Hardaker N. Concussion reporting and return to play over two years for an amateur women’s rugby union team in New Zealand Advances in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 2020;2020(4).
• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Kieser D, Clark T. Head impact exposure from match participation in women’s rugby league over one season of domestic competition. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2018;21(2):139-46.
• King DA, Hume PA, Gissane C, Clark T. Impacts to the head in a premier one domestic netball team measured with a wireless head impact sensor over a domestic competition season: an exploratory analysis. J Orthopaedic Research and Surgery. 2021;2(2).
• King D, Hume PA, Cummins C, Clark T, Gissane C, Hecimovich M. Head impact exposure comparison between male and female amateur rugby league participants measured with an instrumented patch. Journal of Sports Medicine and Therapy. 2019;4:024-37.

Studies on mTBI from violence

We have conducted studies on mTBI from violence including IPV and prison:

• Mitchell T, du Preez E, Theadom A. An intervention to improve coping strategies in adult male prisoners with a history of Traumatic Brain Injury: A pilot randomised clinical trial. Clinical Rehabilitation. Clin Rehabilitation, 2021. doi.org/10.1177/0269215521998535.
• Mitchell T, Theadom A, DuPreez E. Prevalence of traumatic brain injury in a male adult prison population and links with offence type. Neuroepidemiology, 48(3-4):164-170. DOI: 10.1159/000479520. IF: 2.9
• Durrant M, Theadom A, O’Donovan C. Practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of acquired brain injury in the context of intimate partner violence in New Zealand.  Dissertation in AUT scholarly commons.

Evaluation of mTBI assessment, monitoring and treatment tools

We have conducted studies to evaluate mTBI assessment, monitoring and treatment tools in collaboration with clinicians:

• McGeown J, Kara S, Crosswell H, Borotkanics R, Hume PA, Quarrie K, et al. Predicting sport-originated brain injury recovery trajectory using initial clinical assessment findings: a retrospective cohort study. Sports Medicine. 2019.
• King D, Hume PA, Hind K, Clark T, Cummins C. Effect of selective head-neck cooling on signs and symptoms of sport originated brain injury in amateur sports: A pilot study. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res 2019;21(4):16062-70.
• King DA, Hume PA, Tommerdahl M. Use of the Brain-Gauge somatosensory assessment for monitoring recovery from concussion: A case study. Journal of Physiotherapy Research. 2018;2(1):13.
• King D, Hume PA, Cummins C, Tommerdahl M, Pearce AJ, Clark T, et al. Use of the King-Devick test and Brain Gauge for the management of concussion. Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport. 2018:S38-9.
• King DA, Hume PA, Clark TN, Hind K. Use of RESTQ-Sport and King-Devick test to monitor changes during recovery of concussion in an amateur women’s rugby union team. JSM Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2021;5(1):9.
• Sharma A, Hind K, Hume PA, Singh J, Neary JP. Neurovascular coupling by functional near infra-red spectroscopy and sport-related concussion in retired rugby players: The UK rugby health project. Front Hum Neurosci 2020;14(42).
• King DA, Hume PA, Clark TN, Pearce AJ. Use of the King-Devick test for the identification of concussion in an amateur domestic women’s rugby union team over two competition seasons in New Zealand. Journal of Neurological Sciences. 2020;418.
• King D, Hume PA, Foskett A, Barnes MJ. Changes in the stress and recovery of injured versus non-injured amateur domestic women’s rugby union team players over a competition season in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Sports Medicine. 2020;46(2):74-83.
• Stuart C, Reid D, Theadom A, Fulcher M, Hardaker N. Knowledge and Management of Sport-related Concussion in Primary Care in New Zealand. NZ Medical Journal
• Pedersen, M, Jackson, G. D., Makdissi, M., Parker, D. M., Curwood, E. K., Farquharson, S., Connelly, A., Abbott, D. F., & McCrory, P. Functional brain effects of acute concussion in Australian rules football players. Journal of Concussion. 2019;3:2059700219861200.
• Pedersen, M., Makdissi, M., Parker, D. M., Barbour, T., Abbott, D. F., McCrory, P., & Jackson, G. D. Quantitative MRI as an imaging marker of concussion: Evidence from studying repeated events. European Journal of Neurology. 2020;27(10):e53–e54.
• Pedersen, M., Verspoor, K., Jenkinson, M., Law, M., Abbott, D. F., & Jackson, G. D. Artificial intelligence for clinical decision support in neurology. Brain Communications. 2020;2(2):fcaa096.

Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST) development

We have developed the Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST) with a collaborative group of researchers and clinicians, and worked with industry partners to integrate the BIST into the patient management systems of NZ general practitioners through a national portal. The tool is being piloted within GP clinics, hospital inpatients, Emergency Departments, Accident and Medical Clinics and prison health care teams in collaboration with ACC and Department of Corrections.A non-interactive is available free of charge globally.

• Theadom A, Hume PA, Siegert R, Mahon S, Bastos Gottgtroy R, Fernando K, et al. Brain Injury Assessment Tool (BIST) A guide to traumatic brain injury assessment. ©2020 Auckland University of Technology. BIST (Brain Injury Screening Tool) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License. CC BY-ND. https://tbin.aut.ac.nz/support-and-resources/brain-injury-screening-tool-bist
• Theadom A, Hardaker N, Bray C, Siegert R, Henshall K, Forch K, et al. The Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST): Tool development, factor structure and validity. PLOSONE. 2021;16(2):e0246512.
• Shaikh N, Theadom A, Siegert R, Hardaker N, King D, Hume PA. Rasch Analysis of The Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST) in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Research Square. 2021:16.

Evaluated the evidence and provided scientific opinion on issues

Literature reviews to evaluate the evidence

We have conducted a series of literature reviews to evaluate the evidence:

• McGeown JP, Hume PA, Theadom A, Quarrie K, Borotkanics R. Nutritional interventions to improve neurophysiological impairments following traumatic brain injury: A systematic review. Journal of Neuroscience Research. 2020:1-32.
• Brady M, Mahon S, Theadom A, Hume PA, editors. Mild traumatic brain injury outcomes in sports related and non-sports related injuries: A systematic literature review. Sports Medicine New Zealand; 2020; Tauranga.
• Theadom A, Mahon S, Hume PA, Starkey N, Barker-Collo S, Jones K, et al. Incidence of sports related traumatic brain injury of all severities: A systematic review. Neuroepidemiology. 2019.
• King D, Hume PA, Gissane C, Clark T. Semi-professional rugby league players have higher concussion risk than professional or amateur participants: A pooled analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017;47(2):197-205.
• King D, Hume PA, Gissane C, Brughelli M, Clark T. The influence of head impact threshold for reporting data in contact and collision sports: Systematic review and original data analysis. Sports Medicine. 2016;46(2):151-69.

Opinion articles and conference keynotes on key issues

We have provided opinion articles and conference keynotes on key issues:

• Quarrie K, Brooks J, Burger N, Hume PA, Jackson S. Facts and values: On the acceptability of risks in children’s sport, using the example of rugby. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017;51:1136–41.
• Hume PA, King D, McGeown J, Theadom A. Sports-related concussion, mild traumatic brain injury or sport-originated brain injury (SOBI): A more useful term. New Zealand Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;45(2):64-7.
• Hume PA, Quarrie K. SOBI (Sport Originated Brain Injury) and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy): Keynote Invited Presentation.  Sport and Exercise Science New Zealand; 25-27th November; Christchurch: SESNZ; 2020.
• Hume PA, Bussey M, McGeown J, Draper N, Quarrie K. Invited Concussion Panel: Should contact in sports be limited for children to reduce SOBI?  Sport and Exercise Science New Zealand; 25-27th November; Christchurch: SESNZ; 2020.
• Hume PA, Hardaker N, Kara S, Whatman C, Reid D, Fulcher M, et al., editors. Sprains, strains and sobi: can physiotherapists have an increased role in sport originated brain injury assessment and management? Sports Medicine New Zealand 2019 Conference; 2019; Dunedin: Sports Medicine New Zealand.
• Faulkner J, Theadom A, Snell D, Invited Workshop. Innovative Clinical Tools to Support the Management of Concussion from Recognition to Rehabilitation. ASSBI 6^th Pacific Rim Conference, Perth Australia (online), 2021
• Theadom A, Initial concussion recognition and predictors of recovery. RMSANZ Virtual Snapshots 2021, 31 July –1 August 2021.
• Theadom A. Mild brain injuries across different contexts: What are the long-term impacts and how can we prevent them? Active+ Conference, June 2021. Auckland NZ
• Theadom A. A brief decision support tool to facilitate assessment and management of mild TBI. GP21 Conference, 2021, Wellington, NZ
• McCallum S, Meehan L, Pacheco G, Theadom A. Long-term social impacts of mild traumatic brain injury. New Zealand Association of Economists June 2021. Wellington NZ.