Injuries and illnesses of football players during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
BACKGROUND
The incidence and characteristics of football injuries during matches in top-level international tournaments are well documented, but training injuries and illnesses during this period have rarely been studied.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse the incidence and characteristics of injuries and illnesses incurred during the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup.


METHODS
The chief physicians of the 32 finalist teams reported daily all newly incurred injuries and illnesses of their players on a standardised medical report form.


RESULTS
Out of 229 injuries reported, 82 match and 58 training injuries were expected to result in time loss, equivalent to an incidence of 40.1 match and 4.4 training injuries per 1000 h. Contact with another player was the most frequent cause of match (65%) and of training (40%) injuries. The most frequent diagnoses were thigh strain and ankle sprain. 99 illnesses of 89 (12%) players were reported. Illnesses were mainly infections of the respiratory or the digestive system. Most illnesses did not result in absence from training or match. The incidence of time-loss illnesses was 3.0 per 1000 player days.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of match injuries during the 2010 FIFA World Cup was significantly lower than in the three proceeding World Cups. This might be a result of more regard to injury prevention, less foul play and stricter refereeing. Tackling skills and fair play need to be improved to prevent contact injuries in training and matches. Prevention of illness should focus on reducing the risk of infections by considering the common modes of transmission and environmental conditions.
Fédération Internationale de Football Association, Zurich, Switzerland.
Jiri
J
Dvorak
Astrid
A
Junge
Wayne
W
Derman
Martin
M
Schwellnus
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
Br J Sports Med. 2007 Sep;41(9):578-81; discussion 581
17510228
Br J Sports Med. 2010 Sep;44(11):772-80
20820057
Am J Sports Med. 2009 Nov;37(11):2165-72
19783812
Am J Sports Med. 2006 Apr;34(4):565-76
16303876
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2007 Aug;17(4):400-7
17038157
Clin J Sport Med. 2009 Jan;19(1):26-32
19124980
Br J Sports Med. 2008 Jun;42(6):413-21
18390916
Br J Sports Med. 2010 Dec;44(15):1100-5
21106775
Res Sports Med. 2010 Jul;18(3):199-204
20623436
Am J Sports Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;32(1 Suppl):36S-42S
14754858
Clin J Sport Med. 2006 Mar;16(2):97-106
16603877
Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2007 Sep;15(9):1155-62
17375283
Br J Sports Med. 2010 Jun;44(7):522-7
20460256
Br J Sports Med. 2004 Aug;38(4):493-7
15273193
Am J Sports Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;32(1 Suppl):23S-7S
14754856
Am J Sports Med. 2004 Jan-Feb;32(1 Suppl):80S-9S
14754863
Br J Sports Med. 2009 Jul;43(7):483-9
19246461
BMJ. 2008 Dec 09;337:a2469
19066253