Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar 21;10(1):133.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-017-2451-x.

Injuries in male and female semi-professional football (soccer) players in Nigeria: prospective study of a National Tournament

Oluwatoyosi Babatunde Alex Owoeye  1   2 , Ayoola Ibifubara Aiyegbusi  3 , Oluwaseun Akinleye Fapojuwo  3 , Oluwaseun Abdulganiyu Badru  3 , Anike Rasheedat Babalola  3
Affiliations

Injuries in male and female semi-professional football (soccer) players in Nigeria: prospective study of a National Tournament

Oluwatoyosi Babatunde Alex Owoeye et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Background: Research on the epidemiology of football injuries in Africa is very sparse despite its importance for injury prevention planning in a continent with limited sports medicine resources. The vast majority of studies available in literature were conducted in Europe and only a very few studies have prospectively reported the pattern of football injury in Africa. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and pattern of injuries in a cohort of male and female semi-professional football players in Nigeria.

Methods: A prospective cohort design was conducted, in which a total of 756 players with an age range of 18-32 years (356 males and 300 females) from 22 different teams (12 male and 10 female teams), were prospectively followed in a National Football Tournament. Physiotherapists recorded team exposure and injuries. Injuries were documented using the consensus protocol for data collection in studies relating to football injury surveillance.

Results: An overall incidence of 113.4 injuries/1000 h (95% CI 93.7-136.0) equivalent to 3.7 injuries/match and time-loss incidence of 15.6 injuries/1000 h were recorded for male players and 65.9 injuries/1000 h (95% CI 48.9-86.8) equivalent to 2.2 injuries/match and time-loss incidence of 7.9 injuries/1000 h were recorded for female players. Male players had a significantly higher risk of injuries [IRR = 1.72 (95% CI 1.23-2.45)]. Injuries mostly affected the lower extremity for both genders (n = 81, 70% and n = 31, 62% for males and females respectively). Lower leg contusion (n = 22, 19%) and knee sprain (n = 9, 18%) were the most common specific injury types for male and female players respectively. Most of the injuries were as a result of contact with another player (n = 102, 88%-males; n = 48, 96%-females). Time-loss injuries were mostly estimated as minimal (n = 11, 69%) for male players and severe (n = 4, 66%) for female players.

Conclusion: The overall incidence of injuries among Nigerian semi-professional football players is high but most of the injuries do not result in time-loss. Pattern of injuries is mostly consistent with previous studies. More prospective studies are needed to establish injury prevention initiatives among African players.

Keywords: Africa; Epidemiology; Injury prevention; Soccer.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. FIFA. FIFA magazine big count. 2007. http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/bcoffsurv/emaga_9384_10704.pdf. Accessed 24 Mar 2015.
    1. Maro CN, Robert GC, Sorensen M. Using sport to promote HIV/AIDS education for at-risk youths: an intervention using peer coaches in football. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009;19:129–141. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2007.00744.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Owoeye OBA, Akinbo SRA, Olawale OA, Tella BA, Ibeabuchi NM. Injury prevention in football: knowledge and behaviour of players and availability of medical care in a Nigerian youth football league. S Afr J Sports Med. 2013;25(3):77–80. doi: 10.17159/2078-516X/2013/v25i3a361. - DOI
    1. Hawkins RD, Fuller CW. A prospective epidemiological study of injuries in four English professional football clubs. Br J Sports Med. 1999;33:196–203. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.33.3.196. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Junge A, Dvorak J, Graf-Baumann T, Peterson L. Football injuries during FIFA tournaments and the Olympic Games, 1998–2001: development and implementation of an injury-reporting system. Am J Sports Med. 2004;32(1 Suppl):80S–89S. doi: 10.1177/0363546503261245. - DOI - PubMed