title: Injuries in Swedish elite football--a prospective study on injury definitions, risk for injury and injury pattern during 2001.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to study the risk for injury and injury pattern in Swedish male elite football and to compare two different injury definitions. A prospective cohort study was conducted during 2001 on all 14 teams (310 players) in the Swedish top division. Injuries and individual exposure were recorded. Injury was defined as time-lost injury (715 injuries) and for comparison as tissue injury (765 injuries). No significant difference in the risk for injury between tissue injuries and time-lost injuries was found during matches (27.2 vs. 25.9 injuries per 1000 match hours, P=0.66) or training sessions (5.7 vs. 5.2 injuries per 1000 training hours, P=0.65). The risk for injury during training was significantly higher during the pre-season compared with the competitive season (P=0.01). Thigh strain was the single most common injury (14%). Knee sprain was the most common major injury (absence >4 weeks). Overuse injuries and re-injuries were frequent and constituted 37% and 22% of all injuries. Re-injuries caused significantly longer absence than their corresponding initial injuries (P=0.02). The risk for re-injury (P=0.02) and overuse injury (P<0.01) was significantly higher during the pre-season compared with the competitive season.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Society, Division of Social Medicine and Public Health Science, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. markus.walden@telia.com
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waldén
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hägglund
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ekstrand
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000145:classification* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D025981:Hip Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D013848:Thigh / Q000293:injuries; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices