ObjectiveWe performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological data of injuries in professional male football.MethodForty-four studies have reported the incidence of injuries in football. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed trial quality using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement and Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Studies were combined in a pooled analysis using a Poisson random effects regression model.ResultsThe overall incidence of injuries in professional male football players was 8.1 injuries/1000 hours of exposure. Match injury incidence (36 injuries/1000 hours of exposure) was almost 10 times higher than training injury incidence rate (3.7 injuries/1000 hours of exposure). Lower extremity injuries had the highest incidence rates (6.8 injuries/1000 hours of exposure). The most common types of injuries were muscle/tendon (4.6 injuries/1000 hours of exposure), which were frequently associated with traumatic incidents. Minor injuries (1–3 days of time loss) were the most common. The incidence rate of injuries in the top 5 European professional leagues was not different to that of the professional leagues in other countries (6.8 vs 7.6 injuries/1000 hours of exposure, respectively).ConclusionsProfessional male football players have a substantial risk of sustaining injuries, especially during matches.

Hamstring strain injury (HSI) is one of the most prevalent and severe injury in professional soccer. The purpose was to analyze and compare the predictive ability of a range of machine learning techniques to select the best performing injury risk factor model to identify professional soccer players at high risk of HSIs. A total of 96 male professional soccer players underwent a pre-season screening evaluation that included a large number of individual, psychological and neuromuscular measurements. Injury surveillance was prospectively employed to capture all the HSI occurring in the 2013/2014 season. There were 18 HSIs. Injury distribution was 55.6% dominant leg and 44.4% non-dominant leg. The model generated by the SmooteBoostM1 technique with a cost-sensitive ADTree as the base classifier reported the best evaluation criteria (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve score=0.837, true positive rate=77.8%, true negative rate=83.8%) and hence was considered the best for predicting HSI. The prediction model showed moderate to high accuracy for identifying professional soccer players at risk of HSI during pre-season screenings. Therefore, the model developed might help coaches, physical trainers and medical practitioners in the decision-making process for injury prevention.

The main purpose of this study was to analyse the training effects of the FIFA 11+ and Harmoknee on several parameters of physical performance measures in youth amateur football players. 41 adolescent players were randomised within each team into 2 groups (team 1: control vs. FIFA 11+; team 2: control vs. Harmoknee). The FIFA 11+ and Harmoknee groups performed the program 3 times a week for 4 weeks; the control groups completed their usual warm-up routines. 13 physical performance measures (joint range of motion, dynamic postural control, single legged hop limb symmetry, sprint time, jumping height and agility) were assessed. All physical performance parameters were compared via a magnitude-based inference analysis. Significant between-group differences (in favour of the FIFA 11+ players) were found for dynamic postural control (anterior [2.5%] and posteromedial [7.2%] distances), single legged hop limb symmetry (side-to-side symmetry during a triple hop test [8.3%]), 10 (8.4%) and 20 (1.8%) m sprint times and jumping height (9.1%) neuromuscular outcomes. For the Harmoknee, significant differences (in comparison to its paired control group) were found only for 10 (2.7%) and 20 (2.9%) m sprint times and jumping height (9.7%). Therefore, the main findings of this study suggest exchanging traditional warm-up programmes for the FIFA 11+ in male youth soccer players based on its superior effects on some neuromuscular parameters (sprinting, jumping and stability) of physical performance.

The main purpose of the current study was to analyze the injury incidence, characteristics and burden among sub-elite female futsal players. Individual exposure to match play and training, injury incidence and characteristics (player position, injury mechanism, type of injuries, severity of injuries, recurrent vs. new injuries, season variation of injury pattern) in a female futsal team were prospectively recorded for three consecutive seasons (2015–2018). Incidences were calculated per 1,000 h of exposure. A total of 30 injuries were reported during the three seasons within a total exposure of 4,446.1 h. The overall, match and training incidence of injuries were 6.7, 6.4 and 6.8 injuries/1,000 h of exposure, respectively. Most injuries had a non-contact mechanism (93%), with the lower extremity being the most frequently injured anatomical region (5.62 injuries/1,000 h of exposure). The most common type of injury was muscle/tendon (4.9 injuries/1,000 h of exposure) followed by joint (non-bone) and ligament (1.3 injuries/1,000 h of exposure). The injuries with the highest injury burden were those that occurred at the knee (31.9 days loss/1,000 h exposure), followed by quadriceps (15.3 day loss/1,000 h) and hamstring (14.4 day loss/1,000 h) strains. The first few weeks of competition after pre-season and soon after the Christmas break were the time points when most injuries occurred. These data indicate that sub-elite female futsal players are exposed to a substantial risk of sustaining an injury. To reduce overall injury burden, efforts should be directed toward the design, implementation and assessment of preventative measures that target the most common diagnoses, namely, muscle/tendon and ligament injuries.

Background and method: This meta-analysis sought to: quantify the effects of isometric resistance training (IRT) on the magnitude of change in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and resting heart rate in adults; and examine whether the magnitude of change in SBP, DBP, MAP and heart rate was different with respect to the patient demographic characteristics and IRT parameters. To be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to be randomized controlled trials lasting 2 or more weeks, investigating the effects of IRT on blood pressure in adults. The methodological quality of the studies selected was evaluated using the PEDro scale. For each main outcome measure, an average effect size and its respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated.Results: A total of 16 articles (492 participants) fulfilled the selection criteria (mean quality score in the PEDro scale of 5.9). Compared with control groups, IRT groups showed statistically significant (P<0.05) and clinically relevant (>2mmHg) positive effects on the SBP (-5.23mmHg) and MAP (-2.9mmHg). IRT groups also showed statistically significant, but not clinically relevant reduction in DBP (-1.64mmHg). Furthermore, IRT groups did not report any statistically significant and clinically relevant (>5bpm) effect on resting heart rate (-0.08bpm). Conclusion:The analysis of moderator variables showed that none of them exhibited a statistically significant relationship with the positive effects of IRT for lowering blood pressure. Therefore, IRT may be considered an appropriate nonpharmacologic treatment for lowering SBP and MAP.