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Cited by 1,436Sports injuries and preventionSports Performance and TrainingKnee injuries and reconstruction techniques

Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study

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Ekstrand, J, Hägglund, M, Waldén, M·2011·British Journal of Sports Medicine
DOI 10.1136/bjsm.2009.060582
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Abstract

Objective: To study the injury characteristics in professional football and to follow the variation of injury incidence during a match, during a season and over consecutive seasons. Design: Prospective cohort study where teams were followed for seven consecutive seasons. Team medical staff recorded individual player exposure and time-loss injuries from 2001 to 2008. Setting: European professional men's football. Participants: The first team squads of 23 teams selected by the Union of European Football Associations as belonging to the 50 best European teams. Main outcome measurement: Injury incidence. Results: 4483 injuries occurred during 566 000 h of exposure, giving an injury incidence of 8.0 injuries/1000 h. The injury incidence during matches was higher than in training (27.5 vs 4.1, p<0.0001). A player sustained on average 2.0 injuries per season, and a team with typically 25 players can thus expect about 50 injuries each season. The single most common injury subtype was thigh strain, representing 17% of all injuries. Re-injuries constituted 12% of all injuries, and they caused longer absences than non re-injuries (24 vs 18 days, p<0.0001). The incidence of match injuries showed an increasing injury tendency over time in both the first and second halves (p<0.0001). Traumatic injuries and hamstring strains were more frequent during the competitive season, while overuse injuries were common during the preseason. Training and match injury incidences were stable over the period with no significant differences between seasons. Conclusions: The training and match injury incidences were stable over seven seasons. The risk of injury increased with time in each half of matches.

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Crossref · 10.1136/bjsm.2009.060582

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  • Substantial physiological changes relating to acid-base balance, the glycaemic response, and muscle and core temperature result from typically passive periods comparable in length to half-time (~15 min).

    “substantial physiological changes relating to acid-base balance 3 , the glycaemic response 4-6 and muscle (Tm) and core temperature (Tcore) changes 7-11 result from typically passive periods comparable in length to those observed during half-time (i.e., ~15 min).”

    From Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: A review and recommendations (2015) · cites this paper as [9]

  • Professional Rugby Union players who wore a Blizzard survival jacket throughout a simulated half-time period experienced significantly lower reductions in core temperature (-0.74 ± 0.08% vs. -1.54 ± 0.06%) over 15 min compared to a passive condition.

    “We recently observed that professional Rugby Union players who wore a Blizzard TM survival jacket throughout a simulated half-time period experienced significantly lower reductions in Tcore (-0.74 ± 0.08% vs. -1.54 ± 0.06%) over the 15 min period when compared to a passive condition 9 .”

    From Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: A review and recommendations (2015) · cites this paper as [9]

  • Attenuated losses of muscle temperature and concomitant protection of physical performance follow an active rewarm-up.

    “findings from studies reporting attenuated losses of Tm and concomitant protection of physical performance 8, 9, 20, 24 following an active rewarm-up further substantiate the importance of attenuating body temperature losses during half-time.”

    From Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: A review and recommendations (2015) · cites this paper as [9]

  • Heated clothing, outdoor survival jackets, and heating pads have proved beneficial when seeking to attenuate reductions in performance attributable to Tm loss.

    “Heated clothing, outdoor survival jackets, and heating pads can be applied with relatively little inconvenience to athletes, and have proved beneficial when seeking to attenuate reductions in performance attributable to Tm loss 7, 9, 26 .”

    From Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: A review and recommendations (2015) · cites this paper as [9]

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Authors
Ekstrand, J., Hägglund, M., & Waldén, M.
Affiliations
Linköping University (SE)
Corresponding author
Ekstrand, J
ORCID
Venue
British Journal of Sports Medicine
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2009-06-23
Volume
45
Issue
7
Pages
553-558
ISSN
  • 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
  • 1473-0480
DOI
10.1136/bjsm.2009.060582
OpenAlex
W2126040782
Cited by
1,436
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 94 · 2025: 115 · 2024: 90 · 2023: 89 · 2022: 114 · 2021: 127 · 2020: 128 · 2019: 112 · 2018: 117 · 2017: 90 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 86 · 2014: 65 · 2013: 66 · 2012: 35
FWCI
24.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DiVA (Linkoping University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports injuries and prevention
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
Keywords
sports injuries, professional football, injury incidence, injury patterns, hamstring strain, injury recurrence, time-loss injuries, match injuries, training injuries, overuse injuries
MeSH terms
Adult, Athletic Injuries, Dangerous Behavior, Joint Dislocations, Europe, Humans, Male, Musculoskeletal System, Recurrence, Cumulative Trauma Disorders, Risk Factors, Soccer, Sprains and Strains, Time Factors, Incidence, Fractures, Bone, Young Adult

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