Injury evaluation of the Turkish national football team over six consecutive seasons

Abstract

The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence, mechanisms and anatomic sites of injuries of the Turkish National Men's Football Team over six years. The affected anatomic site, incidence rate, type of injury, and applied treatment procedures were recorded by the medical staff. Official and friendly games and training sessions over the period January 2000 - December 2005 were documented daily. Cross- tabulation, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, and chi-square test methods were used in statistical evaluations. In total, 52 official and friendly games were played and 208 training sessions were conducted. The total number of injuries recorded in this period was 108, and the averages per match and training were 1.0 and 0.27, respectively. The most commonly affected anatomic site was the thigh (25%), the most common injury type was contusion (32%) and the most common applied treatment procedure was physical therapy and rehabilitation (89.8%). Our results provide valuable information about the incidence, affected anatomical site, and type and severity of injuries in football. This study can serve as reference data for future scientific studies in the field, and also provides information regarding the prevention of injuries.