SOCCER INJURIES IN ICELAND

We investigated the frequency, cause and location of injuries in Icela ndic elite soccer in 1991. The incidence of injuries for the individua l player was 34.8+/-5.7 per 1000 game-hours and 5.9+/-1.1 per 1000 pra ctice-hours. The most common types of injuries were muscle strains (29 %), ligament sprains (22%), contusions (20%), and other injuries (29%) . The frequency of reinjury was markedly high, where 44% of the strain s and 58% of the sprains were registered as reinjuries. Strains occurr ed mainly during sprinting, sprains by tackling, and contusion during other contact. Significantly more injuries occurred on artificial turf than on grass or gravel in correlation to number of hours in games an d practices. Teams who had the longest pre-season preparation period o btained significantly fewer injuries during the season.