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 Dvorak, J. Articles by Hodgson, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dvorak, J. Articles by Hodgson, R. Related Collections Soccer

Risk Factor Analysis for Injuries in Football Players

Possibilities For a Prevention Program

Jiri Dvorak, MD^*,, Astrid Junge, PhD^*, Jiri Chomiak, MD, Toni Graf-Baumann, MD, Lars Peterson, MD^||, Dieter Rösch, MA^a and Roy Hodgson^b

^* Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland
Orthopedic Clinic Bulovka, Praha, the Czech Republic
Office for Management in Medical Research, Teningen, Germany
^|| Gothenburg Medical Center, Vastra Frölunda, Sweden
^a Department of Sport and Sport-Pedagogic, Pedagogic-University, Freiburg, Germany
^b Grasshoppers Football Club, Zurich, Switzerland

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

Review of the literature shows that information concerning risk factors for football injuries is incomplete and partly contradictory. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of medical history, physical findings, football skills, and football performance, as well as psychosocial characteristics on the occurrence and severity of football injuries. The prospective outline of the study was as follows: after a baseline examination was performed to ascertain possible predictors of injury, all players were followed up weekly for 1 year to register subsequent injuries and complaints. Two hundred sixty-four of 398 players (67%) had complete weekly follow-ups over 1 year. A majority of the players (N = 216; 82%) were injured during the observation period. In comparing injured and uninjured players, several differences were observed. To create a multidimensional predictor score for football injuries, 17 risk factors were selected. These risk factors covered a wide spectrum, such as previous injuries, acute complaints, inadequate rehabilitation, poor health awareness, high life-event stress, playing characteristics, poor reaction time, poor endurance, and insufficient preparation for games. By summing up the individual risk factors, a predictive sum was calculated for each player. The more risk factors present at the baseline examination, the higher the probability of that player incurring an injury in the ensuing year. Using two risk factors as the cut-off score, more than 80% of the players were correctly classified as to whether they went on to incur an injury. Based on these findings, knowledge from the literature, and practical experience, possibilities for a prevention program are suggested.