A pilot study examining injuries in elite gaelic footballers

Objectives-To quantify injuries in elite gaelic footballers and to determin e the nature, sites, and outcome of injuries and the possible risk factors involved. Methods-Information on injuries was collected from six elite gaelic footbal l teams by a questionnaire. The footballers were asked to recall injuries o ver the preceding six month period. Results-A total of 88 out of 107 subjects sustained injuries over the study period. Ninety five injuries were recorded, giving an incidence rate of 1. 78 injuries per subject per year, of which 35% were recurring. It was found that 35% of injuries were sustained during training sessions. Lower body i njuries predominated (77%), the ankle being the most commonly injured anato mic site. Most injuries were soft tissue in nature: muscle, 33%; ligament, 32%; tendon, 16%. The most common situations giving rise to injuries were c ollision (22%) and twist/turn (19%). Foul play only accounted for about 6% of injuries. Mean time off play as a result of injury was 17.3 days, and ho spital admission was necessary for 15% of the injuries. Conclusion-Despite the limitations of a retrospective of this nature, the s tudy provides useful and important information on injuries in gaelic footba llers.