Sports Specialization Is Not Associated With Greater Odds of Previous Injury in Elite Male Youth Soccer Players

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between sport specialization and previous injury in elite male youth soccer players. Design: Retrospective survey. Setting: U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Participants: Male youth soccer players (N = 2123). Assessment of Risk Factors: Sport specialization, weekly training volume, training ratio, and age. Main Outcome Measures: Previous sports-related injury, injury type (traumatic vs overuse), injury severity, and injury location. Results: Of 2099 participants (average age 13.2 ± 1.8 years), 61.7% were specialized in soccer (played soccer >8 mo/yr and no other sports) and 38.3% were nonspecialized (played soccer >8 mo/yr and also played other organized sports). Specialized athletes were older than nonspecialized athletes (13.7 ± 1.9 vs 12.5 ± 1.4, P < 0.0001). Thirty-three percent (690/2099) of athletes reported at least one previous sports-related injury for a total of 765 traumatic injuries and 25 overuse injuries. Distribution of injury type was similar for specialized and nonspecialized athletes. Among athletes with overuse injuries, nonspecialized athletes were more likely to report upper-extremity and trunk overuse injuries than specialized athletes. After accounting for age and weekly training volume, specialized athletes had decreased odds of reporting any previous injury compared with nonspecialized athletes [odds ratio (OR), 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.64-0.95], and similar odds of reporting a previous lower-extremity (LE) overuse injury as nonspecialized athletes (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-1.1). However, specialized athletes missed more practices due to injury than nonspecialized players [median = 3, interquartile range (IQR) 2-4 vs median = 2, IQR 2-4, P = 0.0003]. Conclusions: In this national sample of elite, male youth soccer players, after accounting for age and weekly training volume, specialized athletes had decreased odds of reporting any previous injury and similar odds of reporting a previous LE overuse injury as nonspecialized athletes. These data suggest the need for further research to determine whether injury risk related to sports specialization depends on sex, chosen sport, and skill/competitive level.

Sport-Specific Associations of Specialization and Sex With Overuse Injury in Youth Athletes

“…In a sample of 2123 elite male youth soccer athletes, there was no association between specialization and overuse injury. 8 In a separate study, specialized individual-sport athletes were more likely to report an overuse injury compared with specialized team-sport athletes. 17 Highly specialized youth tennis players are also more likely to report an injury.…”

“…Sport-specific examinations of specialization risks in youth sports are lacking, with 2 studies finding an association of specialization and overuse injury in youth tennis athletes 11 and youth soccer athletes 1 and another recent study finding no association in elite youth soccer players. 8 Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to examine sport-specific associations of sex, sport specialization, and exceeding sport volume recommendations with overuse injuries in adolescent basketball, soccer, and volleyball athletes. We hypothesized that female athletes would be more likely than male athletes to report an overuse injury in the previous year, regardless of sport.…”

Soccer Injuries in Children and Adolescents

“…59,[66][67][68] There are few data regarding sport specialization and injury risk specifically among soccer players, with a single recent study of elite male adolescent soccer athletes revealing that specialization was associated with a decreased risk of previous injury overall and was not related to previous overuse injury. 69 Inadequate sleep and fatigue have been shown to be risk factors for injury in youth athletes, 60,70 although this has not been specifically studied in soccer. Finally, overtraining is considered an important risk factor for injury in a number of sports, and acute increases in training load have been shown to be an independent risk factor for injury in youth soccer players, perhaps as a result of impairments in sleep and subjective well-being, which serve as early indicators of overtraining.…”

High School Sport Specialization and Injury in Collegiate Club-Sport Athletes

“…24 Similarly, a recent study in soccer players demonstrated no link between specialization and injury risk. 25 Therefore, a sport specific study in collegiate athletes may be beneficial to better understand the possible association of high school sport specialization with collegiate injuries and how this may vary between sports.…”