Cervical spinal cord injury in rugby union and rugby league: are incidence rates declining in NSW?

Objectives: To estimate trends in incidence rates of rugby code-related severe cervical spinal cord injuries in New South Wales (NSW) from 1986 to 2003. To evaluate the Australian Spinal Cord Injury Register (ASCIR) for injury surveillance by comparison with two published studies.

Methods: Data were cases of complete and incomplete tetraplegia in rugby union and rugby league admitted to the two spinal units in NSW.