Female rugby league performance is influenced by multiple interacting sensory and physiological systems; however, the extent to which these factors vary across playing levels and positional groups remains unclear. This study explored differences in visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and autonomic performance according to playing level and position in female rugby league athletes....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for audiology practice; this cross-sectional study of sensorimotor function in female rugby players has limited direct application to hearing healthcare but may inform vestibular assessment baselines in contact-sport athletes.
Establishing normative vestibular and somatosensory baselines in female contact-sport athletes is important for concussion management protocols, an area where audiologists with vestibular expertise are increasingly involved.
- 01Cross-sectional design assessed visual, vestibular, and somatosensory function in female rugby league athletes.
- 02Comparisons made across different playing levels and positional groups.
- 03Findings may help establish sport-specific sensorimotor baselines for concussion screening.
- 04Female athletes in contact sports remain understudied relative to male counterparts.
- 05Published in Sports, reflecting sport science and biomechanics orientation.
Visual, vestibular, and somatosensory function varies across playing levels and positional groups in female rugby league athletes.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42506807
- DOI
- 10.3390/sports14070265.
- Journal
- Sports
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Female rugby league athletes across different playing levels and positional groups
- Intervention
- Assessment of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory function
- Comparator
- Comparison across playing level and positional group within the cohort
Primary outcomes
Visual function; Vestibular function; Somatosensory function across playing level and position