Long-Term Safety of Using Local Anesthetic Injections in Professional Rugby League for Modified Indications

Local Anesthetic, Professional Sport, Return to Play, Rugby League

Abstract

Objective: To assess and evaluate the long-term safety of local anesthetic injections before or during games in professional rugby league players.

Participants: Sydney Roosters players over a 6-year period (2008-2013), who had been administered a local anesthetic injection for an injury before or during a match to aid return to play.

Main Outcome Measures: Player self-reported satisfaction. Survey results were compared with a previous cohort who had received local anesthetic injection from 1998 to 2007.

Results: Thirty-two players who had been injected with local anesthetic on 249 occasions for 81 injuries completed the current survey at an average of 5.64 years post-injection. In the cohort of 2008 to 2013, fewer injections were performed to areas deemed higher risk compared with the 1998 to 2007 cohort (P < 0.00002). The vast majority of players (80/81 cases) would repeat the injection in the same circumstances and reported that ongoing side effects were uncommon. There were 6 cases (8%) in which players reported significant ongoing pain in the area of injection at long-term follow-up.

Conclusion: This study affirmed the long-term safety of injections in most cases

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