Uncovering injuries in Brazilian elite women's football: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo elucidate the injury profile in Brazilian elite women's football. DesignProspective cohort study. MethodsData on match and training exposure time, as well as time-loss injury cases, were collected from four clubs participating in the Brazilian top-tier league. ResultsSixty-three out of 133 players (47 %) sustained 112 time-loss injuries along the season, leading to 0.8 injuries per player on average. The overall injury incidence rate was 5.0 injuries per 1000 h of exposure. Sudden onset injuries occurred at a rate of 4.2/1000 h of overall exposure, with rates of 15.9/1000 h during matches and 2.9/1000 h during training sessions. Forty-eight percent of the time-loss injuries were attributed to non-contact events. Gradual onset injuries accounted for 16 % of the injuries, resulting in a rate of 0.8/1000 h of overall exposure. The most affected locations were the knee and thigh (29 % of all injuries for each), followed by the ankle (17 %) and hip/groin (13 %). Muscle/tendon was the most affected tissue (47 % of all injuries), followed by ligament/joint capsule (33 %), bone (10 %), and cartilage/synovium/bursa (7 %). Ankle sprains, hamstring strains, and anterior cruciate ligament injuries accounted for over one-third of the injuries. Mild, moderate, and severe injuries account for 40 %, 43 %, and 17 % of cases, respectively. Overall, 18 % of cases were categorized as re-injuries, and 40 % of those occurred within 2 months of the index injury. ConclusionsThis study provides the initial understanding into the injury profile of Brazilian elite women's football. This information should serve as a guiding resource for future injury prevention programs.