An intervention plan for preventing and handling amateur soccer players' injuries

Abstract

Background: The majority of amateur soccer players are vulnerable to soccer-related injuries and many such injuries are avoidable with an adequate education.

Aim: The present study aimed to measure the impact of an intervention educational plan on improving amateur soccer players' knowledge and skills in preventing and handling soccer-related injuries.

Subjects and methods: The study design is a group-clustered randomized intervention-control trial, and it was carried out in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. The "Neighborhood League of Football" players were randomly allocated to a soccer injury prevention education group (intervention group) and a control group. A predesigned and validated questionnaire was used to study the changes in knowledge and skills about soccer injuries before the intervention (response a) and after (response b).

Results: The study included 246 participants in the intervention group and 256 in the control group (n = 502). The median age was 22 years. The comparison of both groups' participants' performance showed significant differences in response b analyses and participants in the intervention group achieved significantly higher scores than the control group in total score levels (P < .0001), injury mechanisms (P < .0001), injury treatment and prevention (P < .0001), and health status (P < .034). The intervention group's scores on response b (after the educational sessions) were significantly higher than response a (before the educational sessions, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: In multiple scales and overall score levels, intervention group participants achieved significantly higher scores than their control group counterparts. Educational assistance appears to have had a good impact on their knowledge and skills.

Keywords: Amateur soccer players; injury risk; prevention program; soccer injuries.