A competitive season of training injuries in New Zealand amateur women’s soccer
A summary of the research:
This study looked at training injuries in an amateur women's soccer team in New Zealand over a single season. Researchers wanted to understand how often injuries happened and how serious they were. They followed 31 players who trained twice a week on artificial turf and collected data on any physical problems that occurred during these training sessions. Injuries were defined broadly as any physical complaint during training, regardless of whether it needed medical attention or caused time away from soccer. The team medic recorded details about each injury, like when it happened, where on the body it was, the type of injury, and what might have caused it. This information helped the researchers calculate how often injuries occurred and the total amount of time players were unable to train.
The study found that there were about 10 training injuries for every 1,000 hours of training, and these injuries led to about 47 days lost from training per 1,000 training hours. Interestingly, defenders had a higher overall injury burden than midfielders or attackers. Injuries that caused players to miss matches happened less often, at about 2 per 1,000 training hours, but still resulted in a significant amount of time lost. Overexertion was the most common cause of injury, and the lower limb, especially the ankle, was the most frequently injured body part. When looking at the impact of injuries, those to the quadriceps muscle had the highest total time lost, and strains caused more time away from training than sprains. This research provides initial information about training injuries in amateur women's soccer in New Zealand, highlighting areas where injury prevention efforts might be most effective.
Here are three key takeaways from the article's results:
Focus on injury prevention strategies targeting the lower limbs, especially the ankle and quadriceps. The study found that the ankle was the most frequently injured area, and quadriceps injuries resulted in the highest total time lost. Coaches and administrators should consider implementing exercises and warm-up routines that specifically strengthen and protect these areas to potentially reduce the incidence and severity of training injuries.
Be mindful of overexertion as a primary cause of training injuries. Overexertion was reported as the most common cause of both total and match time-loss injuries. This suggests the importance of structured training plans that incorporate appropriate rest and recovery periods, and potentially monitoring player fatigue levels to avoid pushing players beyond their capacity, especially in amateur settings where players may have varying levels of fitness and training backgrounds.
Consider position-specific injury risks, particularly for defenders. The study indicated that defenders experienced a higher total injury burden compared to midfielders and attackers. Coaches may want to tailor training drills and conditioning programs to address the specific physical demands and potential injury risks associated with different playing positions.
Authors: Doug King, Patria Hume, Trevor Clark
You can read the entire article here.
