Injury Prevention In Football Research Articles

COMPREHENSIVE INJURY PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Injury prevention in football is a critical issue for athletes, coaches, and health professionals, given the sport's dynamic movements that elevate the risk of muscle and joint injuries. Effective strategies should incorporate specialized physical training and physiotherapeutic interventions to optimize player protection and performance. Preventive training programs, emphasizing muscle strengthening and proprioception, are essential for reducing injury risks. Specific exercises targeting the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and core enhance joint stability and mitigate overload injuries. Neuromuscular training, which includes balance exercises and plyometrics, improves proprioception and helps prevent falls and twists. Flexibility through regular stretching and dynamic warm-ups, such as the FIFA 11+, is crucial for preparing players physically and lowering injury incidence. Additionally, physiotherapists play a vital role in injury prevention through functional assessments to identify muscle imbalances and develop corrective exercise programs. Manual therapy techniques, joint stabilization exercises, and preventive rehabilitation further contribute to maintaining soft tissue quality and preventing muscle strains. Monitoring training load is another fundamental aspect of injury prevention, as abrupt changes in training intensity can lead to injuries. Using tracking technologies allows for better control of players' physical efforts. Studies indicate that implementing structured injury prevention programs significantly reduces injury rates and enhances athletic performance. Research highlights the importance of a multicomponent approach, individualized training, and load management to lower hamstring injuries. Collaboration among athletes, coaches, and health professionals is crucial to create a safe training environment. As football evolves, prioritizing injury prevention is essential for players' health, success, and career longevity.

A new injury prevention program ‘FUNBALL’ improves cognitive performance of young football (soccer) players: A cluster randomized controlled trial

The youth football injury prevention program ‘FUNBALL’ contains exercises requiring high cognitive demands, which are performed concurrently to the training of the respective motor task. This study evaluates whether the program increases cognitive performances of young football players.1253 football players (aged 13–19 years old) were randomly assigned to either a control (CON) or an intervention (INT) group. The INT group performed the ‘FUNBALL’ program at least twice per week in their training sessions for one season (9 months). The CON group continued their training routine. From the total sample, the cognitive performance of 304 players (n = 135 CON; n = 169 INT) was assessed at the beginning and the end of the season using the Cogstate® Brief Battery, with the following subtests: One Back test (accuracy), Two Back test (accuracy), One Card Learning test (accuracy), Chase Test (correct moves per second), Set Shifting (accuracy), Identification test (speed), Detection test (speed), Groton Maze Learning Test (accuracy), and Groton Maze Learning Test Delayed Recall (accuracy).A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on the cognitive performance improvements from pre-to posttest showed that the INT group improved their performances more strongly than the CON group for all cognitive tests, namely for working memory, visual learning, visual motor control, attention, psychomotor function, memory, and executive function.The present study indicates that the exercise-based injury prevention program ‘FUNBALL’ may improve the cognitive performance of young football players. Future research should include an active control group, and should investigate whether the improvement in cognition also has beneficial effects on in-game performance. Trial registration numberAsPredicted (https://aspredicted.org/2kb3b.pdf).

Injury prevention in football : Achallenge for team doctors and coaching team

High injury rates and long injury-related downtimes demonstrate the need for effective and differentiated injury prevention strategies in football. Preventive measures should take place in various fields and should not be reduced to training programmes or medical approaches. The so-called "Big6 of injury prevention" provide an overview of the key areas that should be addressed. In modern sports medicine, it should be amatter of course that the team doctor already participates in the primary prevention strategies and does not only get involved in the post-traumatic treatment. Similarly, adecision on aplayer's return to play after an injury should not be based solely on the medical assessment of the team doctor. Good communication and interdisciplinary cooperation, therefore, form the basis for successful prevention.

‘More than likely the men come first. That’s just very frustrating’. A qualitative exploration of contextual factors affecting the implementation of injury prevention initiatives and the provision of effective injury management in elite-level women’s club football in Ireland

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to explore the contextual factors that affect the implementation of football injury prevention initiatives and the provision of effective injury management in the Irish...

Development of an algorithm-based approach using neuromuscular test results to indicate an increased risk for non-contact lower limb injuries in elite football players

ObjectivesThis retrospective cohort study explored an algorithm-based approach using neuromuscular test results to indicate an increased risk for non-contact lower limb injuries in elite football players.MethodsNeuromuscular data (eccentric hamstring strength,...

FIFA 11+ para Prevenção de lesões em jogadores de futebol: revisão de revisões

The purpose of this review of reviews is to assess if FIFA 11+ is effective for injury prevention in football. A search for systematic reviews published after 2014 was performed in the PubMed and PEDro databases and the included reviews were evaluated through the AMSTAR checklist. In total, four systematic reviews were included, three of them with meta-analysis. The quality of the evidence found is moderate to high quality. In conclusion, there is moderate to high evidence that using the FIFA 11+ protocol reduces the total number of injuries and specific lower limb injuries.

The effect of short period high-intensity circuit training-modified FIFA 11+ program on physical fitness among young football players.

Studies showed that FIFA 11+, the football injury prevention program, can improve physical fitness components through resistance and neuromuscular exercise. Currently, resistance training using High Intensity Circuit Training (HICT) is considered beneficial in increasing physical fitness component, including maintaining cardiopulmonary fitness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of HICT modified- FIFA 11+ training on the physical fitness components and cardiovascular (CV) training intensity of young football players. Thirty-nine football players were recruited by purposive random sampling to the football academies in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The players were randomized into two groups; 20 players were in the experiment (EXP) group and 19 players were in the control (CON) group. The EXP group performed HICT-modified FIFA 11+ exercise and the CON group performed standard FIFA 11+. HICT modification was performed in the EXP group only in part 2 of FIFA 11+ (strength, power, and balance training) while the other parts were regular. Both groups performed the intervention 3 times per week for 4 weeks. All players completed a pre- and post-intervention physical fitness tests comprising the core strength (plank test), leg strength (leg dynamometer) and agility (Illinois test). Heart rate (HR) was monitored in both groups while exercise was being implemented to measure the CV training intensity. Changes in performance (pre- versus post-intervention) of each group were analyzed using paired t-test and Wilcoxon test. Statistical significance was set to P<0.05. Twelve players dropped out in this research. This study showed that core strength increased significantly in both groups (P=0.00). The EXP group had higher CV training intensity (HR max 91%; mean HR 74%) than the CON group (HR max 90%; mean HR 66%). Results suggest that HICT modified FIFA 11+ can be implemented as an alternative program to increase the physical fitness components and also CV training intensity among young football players.

Implementation of the Adductor Strengthening Programme: Players primed for adoption but reluctant to maintain - A cross-sectional study.

Groin injuries represent a considerable problem in male football, accounting for 4%‐19% of all time‐loss injuries. The Adductor Strengthening Programme is the first groin‐specific prevention program shown to reduce the risk of groin problems. We aimed to use the RE‐AIM framework to examine the players’ experiences with the implementation of the program and player attitude toward groin injury prevention in football. Of the 632 players involved in the trial examining the effect of the Adductor Strengthening Programme, 501 agreed to participate in a survey at the end of the season. Most players thought that footballers are at moderate to high risk for groin injuries (87%) and that there is a need for preventive measures (96%). They also believed that a preventive program with strengthening exercises would reduce the risk of groin injuries (91%). Majority of the players reported using <5 minutes to complete the program (73%), and only 11% wanted additional exercises. However, only 46% reported to have performed the program as recommended, and an even smaller proportion (31%) planned to continue using it as recommended the next season. Our results suggest that footballers believe that prevention of groin injuries is needed. Attitude toward implementation of the Adductor Strengthening Programme was positive, and the single‐exercise approach was considered an important facilitator. However, in future dissemination of the program, the players’ reluctance to maintain the exercise protocol may be a potential barrier to implementation that should be addressed.

Injuries in football (soccer)—a systematic review of epidemiology and aetiological aspects

Increasing injury incidences prove the importance of injury prevention in football. The aim of this review was to summarise the recent evidence on the epidemiology and inciting events of acute injuries within subgroups (performance level, age and sex). A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane, PEDro, and SPORTDiscus for articles published from 1 January 2014 until 15 October 2017. The search yielded 4690 results. After the initial screening of titles and abstracts, 182 studies underwent detailed full-text screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 53 studies were included. Of these, 46 papers contained epidemiological data, with a total of approximately 41,212 observed player seasons and 11 further tournaments, including 7122.5 observed matches with approximately 126,748.5 player hours. A total of 30,844 injuries were identified. The overall injury incidence ranged from 0.6 to 20.3 injuries per 1000 h of exposure. The locations at highest risk of injury were the lower limbs, particularly the thighs, knees and ankles. Injury-inciting events were reported in 12 studies, involving a total of 8035 injuries. Of these 12 studies, 5 considered all body locations, 3 concentrated on anterior cruciate ligament injuries, 1 reported on general head injuries, 2 reported on concussions, and 1 reported on midfacial trauma only. One of the main findings of this review was that playing football does not necessarily imply a high risk of injury. Promising preventive approaches are being used to revise implementation strategies of evident training programmes and management of individual workloads.

Exercise-based injury prevention in football

Injuries—a major concern in a high-intensity contact sport like football—are associated with possible short- and long-term harmful consequences for the individual, the team and club as well as for the whole society. Consequently, there is need for effective injury prevention in football at all levels of play, in all age groups and in both genders. The present review summarizes the current scientific evidence focusing on exercise-based injury prevention and presenting promising prevention strategies in different football populations and settings. There is convincing evidence that multimodal exercise-based injury prevention programs (IPP) can reduce injury incidence by more than 30% in athletes of different age groups and in both genders. Although relevant effects have already been shown for short sessions, increased frequency and regular integration into normal practice may increase efficacy up to an injury reduction of 50%. Most programs last about 15 min and can easily replace traditional warm-up programs. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that IPP beneficially affect neuromuscular performance parameters and biomechanical movement characteristics, which are associated with injury risk. There remains, however, a major gap between research on the short-term efficacy and long-term intervention strategies. IPP should be implemented continuously and with high fidelity as training effects are transient. It is crucial that future studies report implementation components in detail in order to facilitate the replication of successful interventions.

Muscle strength characteristics of the hamstrings and quadriceps in players from a high-level youth football (soccer) Academy

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to investigate knee muscle strength characteristics in players from a high-level youth football Academy. In total, 110 players (aged 8–15 years) underwent muscle strength assessments carried out by a research physiotherapist using a computer-linked hand-held dynamometer. Results indicated that isometric hamstrings and quadriceps strength increased with age, whereas the isometric hamstring to quadriceps (H/Q) ratio decreased with age. A number of youth football players (n = 20; 18%; 95% CI: 11–27%) demonstrated isometric H/Q ratios of less than 0.60, as well as muscle strength asymmetries between limbs for the hamstrings (n = 40, 36%; 95% CI: 27–46%) and quadriceps (n = 51, 46%; 95% CI 37–56%), potentially increasing injury risk. This study provides new evidence that the isometric H/Q ratio reduces with advancing age during adolescence which may have important implications for junior athlete development and long-term injury prevention in football.

Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of FIFA injury prevention programmes in football (FIFA 11 and FIFA 11+).DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesRandomised controlled trials comparing the FIFA injury prevention...

THE EFFECT OF FIFA 11+ AS AN INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM IN YOUTH FUTSAL PLAYERS

BackgroundFutsal is a high risk sport, especially in youth level. But none has studied the application of FIFA 11+, the football injury prevention program among youth futsal players in Indonesia.ObjectiveTo...

Injury prevention in football: Knowledge and behaviour of players and availability of medical care in a Nigerian youth football league

Background. Exposure to competitive football is increasing among male youth football players in Nigeria. However, medical support to abate the impact of injuries appears inadequate and there is limited literature to show whether youth football players are knowledgeable about, and practise effective measures for injury prevention in football (IPF).Objective. To assess the knowledge and behaviour of male youth football players regarding IPF and the availability of medical care for players.Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among all registered first-division players of a male youth football league in Lagos, Nigeria. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we assessed players’ knowledge regarding IPF, awareness of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ injury-prevention programme, injury-prevention behaviour and availability of medical attendants during training and competitive matches.Results. The mean age of the players was 18.5 years (standard deviation (SD) ±1.7; range 12 - 19). Their overall mean knowledge score regarding IPF was 4.40 (SD ±1.92) from a total score of 9, with the majority falling into the poor (39.1%) and fair (43.9%) knowledge categories. Most (79.3%) players were not aware of the FIFA 11+ programme. Less than half (40.5%) wore shin guards during training sessions, while 52.5% reported wearing shin guards during matches. Less than two-thirds always warmed up or cooled down at training or matches. About three-quarters (73.1%) and over half (52.1%) reported not having medical attendants working with their teams during matches and training, respectively.Conclusion. There is a clear deficiency in the knowledge and behaviour of injury-prevention measures among Nigerian male youth football players, and adequate medical care is lacking. There is a need for injury-prevention advocacy and implementation of effective interventions to bridge the identified deficiencies in youth football in Nigeria.

Injury prevention in football: Knowledge and behaviour of players and availability of medical care in a Nigerian youth football league

Background. Exposure to competitive football is increasing among male youth football players in Nigeria. However, medical support to abate the impact of injuries appears inadequate and there is limited literature to show whether youth football players are knowledgeable about, and practise effective measures for injury prevention in football (IPF).Objective. To assess the knowledge and behaviour of male youth football players regarding IPF and the availability of medical care for players.Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among all registered first-division players of a male youth football league in Lagos, Nigeria. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we assessed players’ knowledge regarding IPF, awareness of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ injury-prevention programme, injury-prevention behaviour and availability of medical attendants during training and competitive matches.Results. The mean age of the players was 18.5 years (standard deviation (SD) ±1.7; range 12 - 19). Their overall mean knowledge score regarding IPF was 4.40 (SD ±1.92) from a total score of 9, with the majority falling into the poor (39.1%) and fair (43.9%) knowledge categories. Most (79.3%) players were not aware of the FIFA 11+ programme. Less than half (40.5%) wore shin guards during training sessions, while 52.5% reported wearing shin guards during matches. Less than two-thirds always warmed up or cooled down at training or matches. About three-quarters (73.1%) and over half (52.1%) reported not having medical attendants working with their teams during matches and training, respectively.Conclusion. There is a clear deficiency in the knowledge and behaviour of injury-prevention measures among Nigerian male youth football players, and adequate medical care is lacking. There is a need for injury-prevention advocacy and implementation of effective interventions to bridge the identified deficiencies in youth football in Nigeria.

Injury prevention in football: Knowledge and behaviour of players and availability of medical care in a Nigerian youth football league

Background. Exposure to competitive football is increasing among male youth football players in Nigeria. However, medical support to abate the impact of injuries appears inadequate and there is limited literature to show whether youth football players are knowledgeable about, and practise effective measures for injury prevention in football (IPF).Objective. To assess the knowledge and behaviour of male youth football players regarding IPF and the availability of medical care for players.Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among all registered first-division players of a male youth football league in Lagos, Nigeria. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we assessed players’ knowledge regarding IPF, awareness of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ injury-prevention programme, injury-prevention behaviour and availability of medical attendants during training and competitive matches.Results. The mean age of the players was 18.5 years (standard deviation (SD) ±1.7; range 12 - 19). Their overall mean knowledge score regarding IPF was 4.40 (SD ±1.92) from a total score of 9, with the majority falling into the poor (39.1%) and fair (43.9%) knowledge categories. Most (79.3%) players were not aware of the FIFA 11+ programme. Less than half (40.5%) wore shin guards during training sessions, while 52.5% reported wearing shin guards during matches. Less than two-thirds always warmed up or cooled down at training or matches. About three-quarters (73.1%) and over half (52.1%) reported not having medical attendants working with their teams during matches and training, respectively.Conclusion. There is a clear deficiency in the knowledge and behaviour of injury-prevention measures among Nigerian male youth football players, and adequate medical care is lacking. There is a need for injury-prevention advocacy and implementation of effective interventions to bridge the identified deficiencies in youth football in Nigeria.

Injury prevention in football: Knowledge and behaviour of players and availability of medical care in a Nigerian youth football league

Background. Exposure to competitive football is increasing among male youth football players in Nigeria. However, medical support to abate the impact of injuries appears inadequate and there is limited literature to show whether youth football players are knowledgeable about, and practise effective measures for injury prevention in football (IPF).Objective. To assess the knowledge and behaviour of male youth football players regarding IPF and the availability of medical care for players.Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among all registered first-division players of a male youth football league in Lagos, Nigeria. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we assessed players’ knowledge regarding IPF, awareness of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ injury-prevention programme, injury-prevention behaviour and availability of medical attendants during training and competitive matches.Results. The mean age of the players was 18.5 years (standard deviation (SD) ±1.7; range 12 - 19). Their overall mean knowledge score regarding IPF was 4.40 (SD ±1.92) from a total score of 9, with the majority falling into the poor (39.1%) and fair (43.9%) knowledge categories. Most (79.3%) players were not aware of the FIFA 11+ programme. Less than half (40.5%) wore shin guards during training sessions, while 52.5% reported wearing shin guards during matches. Less than two-thirds always warmed up or cooled down at training or matches. About three-quarters (73.1%) and over half (52.1%) reported not having medical attendants working with their teams during matches and training, respectively.Conclusion. There is a clear deficiency in the knowledge and behaviour of injury-prevention measures among Nigerian male youth football players, and adequate medical care is lacking. There is a need for injury-prevention advocacy and implementation of effective interventions to bridge the identified deficiencies in youth football in Nigeria.

Stretching and Injury Prevention in Football: Current Perspectives

Stretching exercises are regularly recommended as a part of football-training sessions and in preparation for competition. There is little sound empirical evidence, however, to substantiate the role of stretching exercises and consequently increased flexibility on injury prevention in football. Furthermore, in the last decade or so, fundamental research has shed some light on the biomechanical adaptation of the muscle-tendon unit following different stretching protocols, improving knowledge about the topic and enabling better understanding of the stretching-injury relationship. The purpose of this review is to examine the literature on the role of stretching and/or increased flexibility on injury prevention in football, with presented results analyzed in the context of the up-to-date basic science research evidence.

Prevention of Football Injuries

Every sport has a unique profile of injury and risk of injury. In recent years, there have been numerous attempts at conducting injury prevention trials for specific injuries or for injuries within specific sports to provide evidence useful to the sports medicine and sport community. Football has been a focus of a number of randomized injury prevention trials. MEDLINE was searched with the first order keywords of "injury prevention" and "sport". This list was restricted to "clinical trial" or "randomized controlled trial" which had been conducted on children and adults whose goal was preventing common football injuries. Our objective was to find studies with an exercise-based training program, thus projects that used mechanical interventions were excluded. A structured, generalized warm-up has been shown to be effective at preventing common injuries in football, reducing injuries by about one-third. The huge participation numbers in the worldwide family of football would suggest that any reduction in injury should have a public health impact. Professionals in sports medicine need to promote injury prevention programs that have been shown to be effective.

Should football players wear custom fitted mouthguards? Results from a group randomised controlled trial

Objective: Head/orofacial (H/O) injuries are common in Australian rules football. Mouthguards are widely promoted to prevent these injuries, in spite of the lack of formal evidence for their effectiveness. Design:...