Growth-related sports injuries among young male professional football players in the Netherlands: a prospective cohort study concerning injury incidence, severity and burden.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence, type and location of growth-related sports injuries (GRSI) in youth professional football in the Netherlands. Secondary, to gain more knowledge on the injury severity and burden of GRSI. METHODS: In this prospective, longitudinal cohort study, 813 players aged 10-18 are included. Data collection is performed by instructing the medical staff of six professional football club academies to register GRSI by means of standardized forms. Training and match exposure are registered individually on a weekly basis. Injury incidence was calculated as number of GRSI per 1000 hours, injury severity as the median number of days lost in categories and injury burden as the number of days lost per 1000 hours. RESULTS: A total of 62 GRSI were documented in the football season 2021-2022. The total incidence of GRSI was 0.62/1000 hours football exposure. Morbus Osgood Schlatter and Morbus Sever were most common types of GRSI, both with incidence rates of 0.22/1000 hours exposure. About 58.3% of the documented GRSI were classified as major (>28 days lost). Within this group, the mean severity was 55 days time-loss to football. CONCLUSIONS: GRSI are relatively common in youth professional football. The most common types are Morbus Sever and Morbus Osgood Schlatter. Morbus Osgood Schlatter has the highest injury severity and burden compared to other types of GRSI.

Findings: GRSI incidence is significant in youth professional football, with M. Osgood Schlatter and M. Sever as the most common types of GRSI. More than half of GRSI are classified as major injuries. The mean injury severity is 55 days-lost due to injury, showing significant injury burden for GRSI. About 20.6% of the GRSI concerns a recurrent injury. GRSI incidence is highest in U13 and U14 players compared to other age groups. GRSI occur more frequently during matches compared to training.Implications: The results of this study provide insight into GRSI incidence and severity for youth professional football during a player's developmental years. The results from this study can be used in practice to recognize and acknowledge GRSI in young professional football players. These data will provide clinicians with prognostic information about expected length of the absence following specific types of GRSI.Caution: The results can most likely be extrapolated to other youth professional football academies. External validity towards other populations such as female professional or amateur youth football requires further validation through prospective studies.

Differences in injury risk and characteristics of injuries between novice and experienced runners over a 4-year period.

OBJECTIVES: Running is increasingly popular, but also carries a high injury risk, especially in novice runners. This study investigates differences in incidence and characteristics of running-related injuries (RRIs) between novice and experienced runners in the open population, in order to adapt to more specific needs for future prevention programs. METHODS: Data were obtained from Injuries and Physical Activity in the Netherlands (IPAN), a Dutch questionnaire on injuries, physical activity, and sports. A representative sample of runners (n = 4621) from IPAN, including 1405 novice runners, was used to assess injury incidence rates, anatomical site, onset and need for medical attention of RRIs. Participants who started running during the past 12 months were defined as 'novice' runners. 'Experienced' runners are participants who had been running for more than 1 year. RESULTS: Of the 4621 runners, 41,8% were female. The average age was 34.2 years. From 2010 to 2013, a total of 416 injuries were reported. The incidence of RRIs was significantly higher in novice runners compared with experienced runners: 8.78 (8.59-8.96) vs. 4.24 (4.11-4.37) per 1000 h running. In both novice and experienced runners, most RRIs were located at the knee (30.5%) and lower leg (17.8%), with the Achilles' tendon less frequently injured in novice runners (2.3% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.031). Novice runners sustained more medical attention injuries (36.8%) than experienced runners (29.2%) (p > 0.132). CONCLUSIONS: In total, over 30% of all (novice and experienced) runners, suffered from RRI within 1 year. Novice runners reported more injuries per 1000 h of running in comparison to experienced runners. A tendency toward receiving medical attention more frequently was found in novice runners compared to experienced runners. In view of this higher injury incidence of RRIs and healthcare consumption in novice runners, more studies are needed to develop effective injury prevention programs for novice runners.

No Effect of Generalized Joint Hypermobility on Injury Risk in Elite Female Soccer Players: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Although it has been suggested that generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is a risk factor for injury in soccer players, it remains unclear whether this applies to elite female soccer players. PURPOSE: To investigate whether GJH is a risk factor for injury in elite female soccer players. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Elite female soccer players in the Netherlands were screened at the start of the 2014-2015 competitive season. GJH was assessed using the Beighton score. Soccer injuries and soccer exposure were registered throughout the entire season. Poisson regression was performed to calculate incidence risk ratios (IRRs) using different cutoff points of the Beighton score (≥3, ≥4, and ≥5) to indicate GJH. RESULTS: Of the 114 players included in the study, 20 were classified as hypermobile (Beighton score ≥4). The mean (±SD) injury incidence per player was 8.40 ± 9.17 injuries/1000 hours of soccer, with no significant difference between hypermobile and nonhypermobile players. GJH was not a risk factor for injuries when using Beighton score cutoff points of ≥3 (IRR = 1.06 [95% CI, 0.74-1.50]; P = .762), ≥4 (IRR = 1.10 [95% CI, 0.72-1.68]; P = .662), or ≥5 (IRR = 1.15 [95% CI, 0.68-1.95]; P = .602). Similarly, GJH was not a significant risk factor for thigh, knee, or ankle injuries evaluated separately. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that GJH is not a risk factor for injuries in elite female soccer players, irrespective of Beighton score cutoff point. Hypermobile players at this elite level might have improved their active stability and/or used braces to compensate for joint laxity.

Validity of the Pediatric Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test to Determine Anaerobic Performance in Healthy Children.

PURPOSE: To determine criterion validity of the pediatric running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) as a nonsophisticated field test for evaluating anaerobic performance in healthy children and adolescents. METHODS: Data from 65 healthy children (28 boys and 37 girls between 6 and 18 years of age, mean ± SD age: 10.0 ± 2.8 years) who completed both the pediatric RAST and the 30-s Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) on a cycle ergometer in a randomized order were analyzed. Peak power (PP) and mean power (MP) were the primary outcome measures for both tests. RESULTS: There were no significant sex-differences in PP and MP attained at the pediatric RAST and the WAnT. Age was strongly correlated to pediatric RAST and WAnT performance (Spearman's rho values ranging from 0.85 to 0.90, with p < .001 for all coefficients). We found high correlation coefficients between pediatric RAST performance and WAnT performance for both PP (Spearman's rho: 0.86; p < .001) and MP (Spearman's rho: 0.91; p < .001). CONCLUSION: The pediatric RAST can be used as a valid and nonsophisticated field test for the assessment of anaerobic performance in healthy children and adolescents. For clinical evaluative purposes, we suggest to use MP of the pediatric RAST when assessing glycolytic power in the absence of the WAnT.