Background: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ Kids is an exercise-based injury prevention program developed by an international group of experts to prevent injuries among child soccer players. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that the FIFA 11+ Kids program would be more effective than performing a typical warm-up regimen in reducing overall injuries among soccer players aged 7 to 13 years. Study Design: A clustered randomized controlled trial. Level of Evidence: Level 1. Methods: A total of 94 boys’ soccer teams, including 780 players, were randomly allocated into an experimental or control group. Complete datasets were collected from 45 teams (377 players) and 43 teams (363 players) in the experimental and control groups, respectively. The experimental group underwent the FIFA 11+ Kids program as a warm-up during training sessions and matches at least twice a week, and the control group continued performing their usual warm-ups. Participants were prospectively followed during 1 season (6 months). The primary outcomes included the incidence of overall and recurrent injuries and their mechanism and severity. The secondary outcome was the rate of compliance with the intervention program. Results: A total of 43 injuries were reported in the experimental group in 50,120 hours of exposure (0.85 injuries/1000 exposure hours). A total of 86 injuries were reported in the control group in 42,616 hours of exposure (2.01 injuries/1000 exposure hours). The injury risk ratio was 0.43 (0.29-0.61), suggesting that the experimental group experienced 57% fewer injuries than those in the control group. Conclusion: The FIFA 11+ Kids program reduced overall injury rates in children playing soccer more than the usual warm-ups. Clinical Relevance: The results of this study provide evidence for children’s coaches to consider including the FIFA 11+ Kids program in their warm-up regimen. Such a program may prevent injury risk and decrease absenteeism and injury-related financial burdens.

Background: The Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) has promoted and deployed the FIFA 11+ injury prevention program worldwide. Developed by the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), the program relied on the results of an international randomized controlled trial that aimed to reduce sport-related injuries and healthcare costs. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the awareness level, implementation rate, and opinions about the effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program among professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches worldwide. Methods: In all, 2000 professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Several authors, who are experts in sports medicine and injury prevention, participated in developing the questionnaire. The primary outcomes were awareness level, implementation rate, and opinion on the FIFA 11+ Program’s effectiveness in reducing injuries. Results: A total of 1690 professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches completed the survey (response rate: 84.5%). A total of 824 professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches (48.8%) were aware of the FIFA 11+ Program, and 680 (83.8%) reported implementing the program in their practice. The participants who implemented the program reported a positive attitude toward the program’s efficacy, with a score of 8.20 ± 1.10 out of 10. Conclusion: More than half of professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches from different continents are not aware of the FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program. Therefore, educating players and coaches is necessary for increased implementation and injury reduction.

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Asymmetric gait is associated with pain, injury, and reduced stability in patient populations. Data from side by side walking suggest that unintentional synchronization with an external cue may reduce gait asymmetry. Two types of asymmetric gait were examined here: (1) mass imbalance between limbs to simulate single limb amputation and (2) restriction of plantarflexion during toe-off to simulate reduced propulsion from neurological impairment. Twenty-five healthy participants walked normally and with simulated gait asymmetry on a custom-designed treadmill that oscillated in the vertical direction via pneumatic actuation (amplitude: 2 cm, frequency: participant’s preferred step frequency). Swing Time Asymmetry (STA) and Phase Coordination Index (PCI) both increased significantly with the application of unilateral mass and plantarflexion restriction (p < 0.001). However, walking with simulated asymmetry did not alter unintentional synchronization with the treadmill motion. Further, oscillation of the treadmill did not improve STA or PCI while walking with simulated asymmetry. Analysis of synchronized step clusters using the Weibull survival function revealed that synchronization with the platform persisted for longer durations when compared with data from side by side walking. These results suggest that walking on a vertically oscillating surface may not be an effective approach for improving gait asymmetry.