Muscle injuries in the academy of a Spanish professional football club: A one-year prospective study

Abstract

Introduction

Due to its high incidence, muscle injury is one of the major problems for football players. The aim was to analyse the rate and characteristics of muscle injuries in the academy of a Spanish professional football team (Spanish First Division) during a complete competitive season (2015–2016) using a prospective cohort design.

Material and methods

Time-loss injuries and exposure time were recorded following the UEFA consensus in 139 elite young football players from 4 levels (Senior, U19, U16 and U14) over one season.

Results

A total of 118 injuries were recorded. Overall injury incidence was 1.47 muscle injuries/1000 h, with a lower incidence in younger players. Nevertheless, injury burden (days lost/1000 h) was similar between levels. The injuries with the highest incidence and burden were hamstring and adductor injuries in Senior (50 and 58 days respectively), hamstring injuries in U19 and U16 (109 vs 89), and adductor injuries in U14 (175 days). Regarding the severity of injuries, it was observed that moderate injuries were the most common injuries and muscle injuries during competition had a higher incidence towards the end of the matches (75–90′).

Conclusions

Muscle injury prevention strategies are necessary in players from all levels and should be adapted to their specific needs, with hamstring and adductor injuries being the main problem in the present study.