Epidemiology of injuries in a professional soccer team in Argentina
A 2-year retrospective observational study
Abstract
Objective: To describe the prevalence, incidence, severity, and burden of injuries in a soccer team and to distinguish injuries based on the time of year, playing position, and setting.
Materials and method: An observational, descriptive, retrospective, and longitudinal study was conducted on a third-division professional soccer team in Argentina during two seasons (June 2018 to May 2019 and June 2019 to May 2020).
Results: Of 66 players, 53 reported at least one injury, with an injury prevalence of 80.3% over a two-season period. A total of 139 injuries were recorded, of which 54 (38.8%) occurred during matches and 85 (61.2%) during training. The injury incidence rate was 53.6/1000 hours-match-player and 3.8/1000 hours-training-player. The overall incidence rate was 6.0/1000 hours-player. Biceps femoris structural injuries were the most prevalent, with 16 cases, followed by lateral ankle sprains, with 13.
Conclusion: Injury prevalence was 80.3%. Biceps femoris structural injuries, lateral ankle sprains, and hamstring functional disorders had the highest incidence in our population, followed by adductor functional disorders and adductor structural injuries. However, anterior cruciate ligament injuries represented the highest burden of injury.
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