PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF INJURIES OCURRED DURING A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2016 IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

INCREASED INCIDENCE OF INJURIES IN THE SÃO PAULO SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP POST-PANDEMIC

OBJECTIVE

Soccer shows a high incidence of injuries and its cause is multifactorial. The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are unknown. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of injuries in the 2023 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol (São Paulo Soccer Championship) and compare it to the championships prior to the pandemic.

METHODS

This study was conducted by collecting data on injuries among players in the A1 Series of the 2023 São Paulo Soccer Championship. Injuries were recorded by each team's medical staff via an online questionnaire. The variables included: Type of Field, Weather, Temperature, Distance, Home Advantage, Age, Type and Location of Injury. The primary outcome is to evaluate the incidence of injuries, and the secondary outcomes are to analyze the relationship between the described variables, the observed incidence, and the comparison of data obtained from 2016 to 2019.

RESULTS

In 2023, 76 injuries were recorded, an incidence of 22.1 injuries/1,000h. Muscle injuries (46.1%) and sprains (18.4%) were the most common. From 2016 to 2019, there was a decrease in the incidence of injuries per 1,000h, respectively: 24.2; 17.6; 14 and 10.5.

CONCLUSION

the incidence in 2023 was 22.1 injuries/1,000h, which points to an increase compared to the pre-pandemic period. Level of Evidence II, Comparative Prospective Study.

INJURIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE 2021 PAULISTA SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP IN BRAZIL

OBJECTIVE

To assess the incidence and characteristics of injuries that occurred during the 2021 season of the Paulista Soccer Championship during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and to compare these characteristics before and after the championship interruption.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted using an electronic form developed by the Medical Committee of the Paulista Soccer Federation. The results were sent by the team physicians of Series A1 after each round of the Paulista Soccer Championship.

RESULTS

Series A1 presented 7.2 injuries per 1,000h of game time. Most injuries occurred within 31-45 min of the match, with muscle injuries being the most frequent and the lower limbs the most affected. Only 10% of injuries required surgery. The strikers were the most affected players and most injuries occurred in penalty-free movements. There was no statistical difference between pre- and post-interruption of the championship due to the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of injuries per 1,000h was below the average reported in the literature. Most injuries occurred in the lower limbs; muscle sprains were the most common type of injury, followed by sprains and fractures. MRI was the most commonly requested examination; and most injuries were classified as moderate. Overall, 10% of the injuries were treated surgically. There was no difference between pre- and post-championship interruption. Level of evidence VI, Descriptive epidemiology study.

ORTHOPEDIC INJURIES IN MEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER DURING THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE PANDEMIC

Objective

To assess the incidence and characteristics of injuries that occurred in the 2020 season of the Paulista Football Championship during the novel coronavirus disease pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a prospective study using an electronic questionnaire developed by the Medical Committee of the Paulista Football Federation. Results were sent to the team doctors of series A1 and A2 after each round of the Paulista Football Championship.

Results

Series A1 and A2 presented 12.17 and 15.6 injuries, respectively, per 1000 gaming hours. The strikers were the most affected, with muscle injuries being the most frequent and the lower limbs being the most affected. Most injuries occurred within 31-45 minutes of playing; only 4.5% of injuries required surgery.

Conclusion

There was no statistical difference in the comparison between pre- and post-pandemic conditions. In relation to the variables studied, the most injuries occurred in the lower limbs; the most common type of injury was muscle strain, followed by sprain and contusion. The most requested exam was MRI; most injuries were classified as moderate (8-28 days). There was no difference between pre- and post-pandemic conditions. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series.

Physical exercises for preventing injuries among adult male football players: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Football is the most practised sport in the world and is associated with the risk of injuries in the players. Some studies have been published that identify injury prevention programs, but there is no review of the full body of evidence on injury prevention programs for use by football coaches. The aim of this article was to carry out a systematic review of published studies on injury prevention programs for adult male footballers, identify points of common understanding and establish recommendations that should be considered in the design of injury prevention strategies.

METHODS

PubMed and EMBASE databases were used to identify relevant published articles using the following keywords: "soccer" AND "injury" AND "prevention".

RESULTS

A total of 2512 studies were identified initially, but only 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, and their outcomes are presented. Results revealed that injury prevention programs in football have focused on strength training, proprioceptive training, multicomponent programs (balance, core stability, and functional strength and mobility), and warm-up programs.

CONCLUSION

Based on results from the studies analyzed, football players can lower the incidence of match and training injuries by participating in dynamic warm-up programs that include preventive exercises before games or during training sessions, and by adding strength, balance, and mobility training to the training sessions.

Low back pain prevalence and risk factors in Italian adolescent male soccer players: results from an online survey

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this retrospective survey was to analyse the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among Italian adolescent soccer players, and to identify potential risk factors.

METHODS

Participants were requested to answer an online survey based on the standardized Nordic questionnaires for musculoskeletal symptoms.

RESULTS

Data were obtained from 204 male soccer players aged 14-17 years competing at the national and regional level. More than half of the players had experienced LBP in their lives. One-way ANOVA revealed that the players with LBP were taller, heavier and with a higher BMI (all p values<0.00001). When considering the playing position, ANOVA revealed that 14-15 years-old strikers displayed higher LBP scores than all other roles (all p values<0.05). Accordingly, strikers were exposed to a higher risk of LBP than midfielders (RR=1.48; 95%CI:1.10-2.01; p=0.01) and goalkeepers (RR=1.48; 95%CI:1.02-2.971; p=0.04), but not defenders (RR=1.23; 95%CI:0.93-1.63; p=0.15). Within the 14-15 age-class, strikers were, again, those most exposed to LBP risk (all p values<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Anthropometric and soccer-related features should be monitored to ensure early identification of potential risk factors for LBP. This information should be considered along with the specific playing position as strikers emerged as the roles most exposed to LBP risk.

PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF INJURIES OCCURRED DURING BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2019

Objective:

To determine the incidence and risk factors for injuries that occurred during the matches of the Brazilian Football Championship.

Methods:

A prospective study was carried out with the collection of data referring to injuries that occurred during the 2019 Brazilian Football Championship. The injuries were recorded by the responsible physician of each team, through an online injury mapping system.

Results:

Among the 645 athletes who were included in the study, 214 (33.2%) of the players had at least one injury during the tournament. In total, 257 injuries were recorded during the Brazilian Championship, with an average of 0.68 injuries per game. 59.1% of the injured athletes were over 26 years old. The most common type of injury was muscle strain (37.7%) and forwards were the most affected (33.6%).

Conclusion:

Muscle injuries were the most frequent in the tournament, with the thigh muscles being the most affected. Most of the affected players were over 26 years old, there were 20.5 injuries for every 1000 hours of play and the incidence of injuries was approximately 33%, with attackers being the most affected (33.6%). Level of Evidence III, Study of nonconsecutive patients; without consistently applied reference “gold” standard.

Estudo prospectivo das lesões musculares em três temporadas consecutivas do Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol

Objective  To perform a prospective evaluation of muscle injuries that occurred during the matches of series A and B of the Brazilian Men's Football Championship from 2016 to 2018.

Prospective  A prospective-cohort study with data collection regarding muscle injuries that occurred during the official matches of the first and second divisions of the Brazilian Men's Soccer Championship in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Results  The total number of muscle injuries was of 577 throughout the 3 seasons, with a gradual and annual reduction in the incidence of injuries (219 injuries in 2016, 195 in 2017, and 163 in 2018), with a statistically significant difference between the 2016 and 2018 seasons. Muscle injuries represented approximately 35% of the total lesions. The incidence of muscle injuries was of 7.66 per 1,000 hours of play. During the 3 seasons (2016 to 2018), the most common injury was of the hamstring muscle (41.1%, 40.5%, and 33.7% respectively). Wingers were the most affected players, and the most common injury severity scale was moderate (8 to 28 days). The moment of the match with the highest incidence of injuries was in the period between 61 and 75 minutes, with an index of 19.9%, with no statistical difference in relation to the other periods of the match.

Conclusion  There was an incidence of muscle injuries of 7.7 /1,000 h, and they occurred predominantly in home games, in defenders (wingers and centre-backs), with an average age of 28 years, mainly involving the hamstring muscles, with a moderate mean time of absence (8 to 28 days).

Prospective Evaluation of Injuries occurred during the Brazilian Soccer Championship in 2016

Objective  To identify the incidence, the prevalence, the characteristics, and the possible risk factors for injuries occurring during the matches of the Brazilian Soccer Championship.

Methods  A prospective study was carried out to collect data on the injuries that occurred during the 2016 Brazilian Soccer Championship. Lesions were recorded by the physician responsible for each team through an online software.

Results  Among the 864 athletes included in the study, 231 (26.7%) of the players presented some injury during the tournament. In total, 312 injuries were recorded during the Brazilian Soccer Championship, with an average of 0.82 injuries per game. The incidence of injuries was 24.9 injuries per 1,000 match hours. Midfielders and forwards presented, respectively, an injury risk 3.6 and 2.4 times higher than goalkeepers.

Conclusion  The prevalence and incidence of lesions were, respectively, 26.7% and 24.9 injuries per 1,000 match hours. The most frequently affected body segment was the lower limbs (76.3%), and the athletes acting in midfield and forward positions were the most affected. Moreover, the greater prevalence of injuries occurred in the first part of the championship.

ORTHOPEDIC INJURIES IN MEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER IN BRAZIL: PROSPECTIVE COMPARISON OF TWO CONSECUTIVE SEASONS 2017/2016

PURPOSE

The purpose is to compare the incidence and characteristics of injuries sustained in two consecutive seasons of the São Paulo State Football Championship.

METHODS

Prospective study performed using an electronic form previously developed by the Medical Committee of the São Paulo State Football Federation, sent to the physicians responsible for the tournament's series A1 and A2 teams, after each round.

RESULTS

17.63 injuries sustained per 1000 hours of matches in the A1 series and 14.91 injuries sustained per 1000 hours of matches in the A2 series. Incidence of injuries per 1000 hours of matches decreased from 24.16 to 17.63 in the A1 series (p<0.037) and from 19.10 to 14.01 in the A2 series (p<0.064). External defenders suffered most injuries, while muscular injuries were most common and lower limbs, the most affected areas. Most injuries occurred between 30 and 45 minutes of the match and only 11.9% of the injuries required surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence and frequency of injuries decreased between seasons. Most injuries were sustained in the lower limbs; strains were the most common injuries, followed by strains and contusions; MRIs were the most frequently requested exams and most injuries were classified as moderate (8-28 days). Level of evidence III, Cross-Sectional Study.