This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Program may lead to a reduction in knee injuries among female soccer players
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A soccer-specific exercise program that includes individual instruction of athletes may reduce the risk of knee injuries in young female players, according to a recent study appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Ashkan Kiani, MD, and colleagues assessed an intervention program designed to reduce the risk of soccer-related knee injuries among 1,506 Swedish female players between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. The program featured strengthening exercises designed to improve motion patterns and reduce strain on the knee.
The training sessions were integrated into the regular soccer practices and required no additional equipment, according to an Archives of Internal Medicine press release. In addition, players, parents and team leaders attended a seminar to raise their awareness of injury risk.
During the 2007 study period, 777 players on 48 teams participated in the intervention program and 729 players on 49 teams served as controls.
The investigators found a 77% reduction in the incidence of knee injuries and a 90% reduction in the incidence of noncontact knee injuries. Three knee injuries – including one noncontact injury – occurred among players participating in the program, compared to 13 knee and 10 noncontact injuries that occurred among players in the control group.
“The rate of injury was not only lower among teams participating in the preventive program, but the injuries that did occur were also less severe,” the authors wrote in their study.
The investigators found that all three injuries in the intervention group were major. However, all three players regained full activity within 6 months. They discovered that most injuries among the control participants were severe and only four of the 13 players regained full activity within 6 months.
Coaches reported their teams’ adherence to the program at two time periods – after the preseason training period and after the competitive season.
Of the 48 teams participating in the intervention, 45 reported at least 75% adherence.
“The high compliance rate in this study suggests that the program is easy to implement and incorporate into regular soccer practice,” the authors wrote.
- References:
Kiani,A, Hellquist E, Ahlqvist K, et al. Prevention of soccer-related knee injuries in teenaged girls. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(1):43-49.