A. Ostenberg et H. Roos, Injury risk factors in female European football. A prospective study of 123 players during one season, SC J MED SC, 10(5), 2000, pp. 279-285
Citations number
36
Categorie Soggetti
Ortopedics, Rehabilitation & Sport Medicine
Journal title
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
The purpose of this study was to register prospectively the injuries In fem
ale soccer and to study their correlation to potential risk factors, A tota
l of 123 senior players from eight teams of different levels were followed
during one season. Isokinetic knee muscle strength at 60 and 180 degrees/ s
,one-leg-hop, vertical jump, square-hop, and continuous multistage fitness
test (MFT) were tested at the end of the pre-season. In addition, Body Mass
Index (BMI) and general joint laxity were measured, During the season, Apr
il-October, all injuries resulting in absence from one practice/game or mor
e were registered. Forty-seven of the 123 players sustained altogether 65 i
njuries. The total injury rate was 14.3 per 1000 game hours and 3.7 per 100
0 practice hours. The knee (26%) was the most commonly injured region follo
wed by the foot (12%), ankle (11%), thigh (11%) and back (11%), The risk of
sustaining moderate and major injuries increased in the later part of the
game or practice, Significant risk factors for injuries were an increased g
eneral joint laxity (odds ratio (OR)=5.3, P<0.001), a high performance in t
he functional test square-hop (OR=4.3, P=0.002), and an age over 25 years (
OR=3.7, P=0.01). The injury rate was not different compared to male soccer,
but knee injuries were more common, which is in accordance with previous s
tudies. None of the risk factors identified in this study is easily applica
ble for future intervention studies in the attempts to reduce the injury ra
te in female soccer.