Incidence and clinical presentation of groin injuries in sub-elite male soccer

TY - JOUR

T1 - Incidence and clinical presentation of groin injuries in sub-elite male soccer

AU - Hölmich, Per

AU - Thorborg, Kristian

AU - Dehlendorff, Christian

AU - Krogsgaard, Kim

AU - Gluud, Christian

N1 - Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

PY - 2014/8

Y1 - 2014/8

N2 - Background Groin injuries cause major problems in the football codes, as they are prevalent and lead to prolonged symptoms and high recurrence. The aim of the present study was to describe the occurrence and clinical presentation of groin injuries in a large cohort of sub-elite soccer players during a season. Methods Physiotherapists allocated to each of the participating 44 soccer clubs recorded baseline characteristics and groin injuries sustained by a cohort of 998 sub-elite male soccer players during a full 10-month season. All players with groin injuries were examined using the clinical entity approach, which utilizes standardised reproducible examination techniques to identify the injured anatomical structures. The exposure time and the injury time were also recorded. Injury time was analysed using multiple regression on the log of the injury times as the data were highly skewed. Effects are thus reported at relative injury time (RIT). Results Adductor-related groin injury was the most common entity found followed by iliopsoas-related and abdominal-related injuries. The dominant leg was significantly more often injured. Age and previous groin injury were significant risk factors for sustaining a groin injury. Groin injuries were generally located on the same side as previously reported groin injuries. Adductorrelated injuries with no abdominal pain had significantly longer injury times compared to injuries with no adductor and no abdominal pain (RIT 2.28, 95% CI 1.22 to 4.25, p=0.0096). Having both adductor and abdominal pain also increased the injury time significantly when compared to injuries with no adductor and no abdominal pain (RIT=4.56, 95% CI 1.91 to 10.91, p=0.001). Conclusion Adductor-related groin injury was the most common clinical presentation of groin injuries in male soccer players and the cause of long injury time, especially when combined with abdominal-related injury.

AB - Background Groin injuries cause major problems in the football codes, as they are prevalent and lead to prolonged symptoms and high recurrence. The aim of the present study was to describe the occurrence and clinical presentation of groin injuries in a large cohort of sub-elite soccer players during a season. Methods Physiotherapists allocated to each of the participating 44 soccer clubs recorded baseline characteristics and groin injuries sustained by a cohort of 998 sub-elite male soccer players during a full 10-month season. All players with groin injuries were examined using the clinical entity approach, which utilizes standardised reproducible examination techniques to identify the injured anatomical structures. The exposure time and the injury time were also recorded. Injury time was analysed using multiple regression on the log of the injury times as the data were highly skewed. Effects are thus reported at relative injury time (RIT). Results Adductor-related groin injury was the most common entity found followed by iliopsoas-related and abdominal-related injuries. The dominant leg was significantly more often injured. Age and previous groin injury were significant risk factors for sustaining a groin injury. Groin injuries were generally located on the same side as previously reported groin injuries. Adductorrelated injuries with no abdominal pain had significantly longer injury times compared to injuries with no adductor and no abdominal pain (RIT 2.28, 95% CI 1.22 to 4.25, p=0.0096). Having both adductor and abdominal pain also increased the injury time significantly when compared to injuries with no adductor and no abdominal pain (RIT=4.56, 95% CI 1.91 to 10.91, p=0.001). Conclusion Adductor-related groin injury was the most common clinical presentation of groin injuries in male soccer players and the cause of long injury time, especially when combined with abdominal-related injury.

KW - Athletic Injuries

KW - Cluster Analysis

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Denmark

KW - Exercise Therapy

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Groin

KW - Humans

KW - Incidence

KW - Leg Injuries

KW - Male

KW - Muscle, Skeletal

KW - Recurrence

KW - Soccer

KW - Time Factors

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092627

DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092627

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23956334

SN - 0306-3674

VL - 48

SP - 1245

EP - 1250

JO - British Journal of Sports Medicine

JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine

IS - 16

ER -