HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Junge, A. Articles by Graf-Baumann, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Junge, A. Articles by Graf-Baumann, T. Related Collections Soccer

Medical History and Physical Findings in Football Players of Different Ages and Skill Levels

Astrid Junge, PhD^*, Jiri Dvorak, MD^*,, Jiri Chomiak, MD, Lars Peterson, MD and Toni Graf-Baumann, MD^||

^* Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland
Orthopedic Clinic Bulovka, Praha, the Czech Republic
Gothenburg Medical Center, Vastra Frölunda, Sweden
^|| Office for Management in Medical Research, Teningen, Germany

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Jiri Dvorak, MD, Spine Unit, Schulthess Clinic, Lengghalde 2, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland

The physical and physiologic demands of football on its participants become more pronounced as the level of competition increases. The aim of this study was to compare the medical history and physical findings in players from different levels of play as well as to analyze the relationship between pathologic findings in the joints of the lower extremities and the medical history. Five hundred eighty-eight football players from eight age and skill levels were investigated. The medical histories of the players were obtained by questionnaire. A physical examination conducted by specially trained physicians incorporated anthropometric and body fat measurements and examination of the spine and the hip, knee, foot, and great toe joints. On average, the players reported 6.6 (SD, 8.8) previous injuries. At the time of the examination, 136 players (24%) still felt the effects of a previous injury. Almost one-quarter of the players (134, 23%) had a pathologic finding in either the right or left knee, and even more players (162, 28%) had a pathologic anterior drawer sign either in the right or left ankle. A correlation was found between the location of the pathologic findings and the preferred leg for playing football. We recommend that further research should address the prevalence of pathologic findings and complaints in football players as well as the secondary structural changes that may occur as the result of playing football.