Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices

Concerns have been raised that professional athletes taking part in contact team sports, such as football and rugby union, are subject to the risk of post-career adverse health conditions. These health concerns include neurodegenerative diseases resulting from head impacts and osteoarthritis in lowe...

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Main Author: Colin W. Fuller
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1593766/full
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author Colin W. Fuller
author_facet Colin W. Fuller
author_sort Colin W. Fuller
collection DOAJ
description Concerns have been raised that professional athletes taking part in contact team sports, such as football and rugby union, are subject to the risk of post-career adverse health conditions. These health concerns include neurodegenerative diseases resulting from head impacts and osteoarthritis in lower limb joints due to wear and tear. There have been suggestions that athletes in contact team sports should be subject to exposure limitations to mitigate these risks. At the present time, little information or guidance is available for athletes and sport governing bodies about how such limitations should be identified and implemented. The criteria used for defining occupational health concerns and the role and nature of occupational exposure limits are discussed. Consideration is given to whether these criteria have been considered and embraced in research studies examining adverse health conditions in professional sport. Recommendations are presented for how future research studies investigating post-career, sport-related, adverse health concerns should be planned and implemented in order to provide the occupational health information required to make evidenced-based decisions about potential health concerns in professional sport.
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spelling doaj-art-6a32b8e2f8984ee597a2c45c788db5b62025-08-20T02:55:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living2624-93672025-05-01710.3389/fspor.2025.15937661593766Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practicesColin W. FullerConcerns have been raised that professional athletes taking part in contact team sports, such as football and rugby union, are subject to the risk of post-career adverse health conditions. These health concerns include neurodegenerative diseases resulting from head impacts and osteoarthritis in lower limb joints due to wear and tear. There have been suggestions that athletes in contact team sports should be subject to exposure limitations to mitigate these risks. At the present time, little information or guidance is available for athletes and sport governing bodies about how such limitations should be identified and implemented. The criteria used for defining occupational health concerns and the role and nature of occupational exposure limits are discussed. Consideration is given to whether these criteria have been considered and embraced in research studies examining adverse health conditions in professional sport. Recommendations are presented for how future research studies investigating post-career, sport-related, adverse health concerns should be planned and implemented in order to provide the occupational health information required to make evidenced-based decisions about potential health concerns in professional sport.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1593766/fullinjuryriskpreventionexposureworkplace
spellingShingle Colin W. Fuller
Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
injury
risk
prevention
exposure
workplace
title Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
title_full Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
title_fullStr Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
title_full_unstemmed Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
title_short Implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports: review of principles and practices
title_sort implementing exposure limits for players in contact team sports review of principles and practices
topic injury
risk
prevention
exposure
workplace
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1593766/full
work_keys_str_mv AT colinwfuller implementingexposurelimitsforplayersincontactteamsportsreviewofprinciplesandpractices