Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To determine the epidemiology and clinical
characteristics of match and training injuries among
football players at an academy in Ghana.
METHODS: In this prospective observational study, we
followed 80 youth and adult football players at a Ghanaian
academy over a season of 39 weeks. Medical attention
and time-loss injuries, as well as exposure times of
players, were recorded by resident physiotherapists using
a standardised injury surveillance form. The average
weekly injury prevalence was calculated. Injury incidence
rates were calculated per 1000 exposure hours, with
significance indicated as 95% CIs.
RESULTS: 126 injuries were recorded during the season,
with an average weekly injury prevalence of 4.1%.
The overall injury incidence was 4.5 (95% CI 3.8 to
5.4) injuries per 1000 hours with under 14 (5.8 (3.3 to
10.2)/1000 hours) and under 18 players (5.7 (4.4 to
7.4)/1000 hours) recording a higher incidence than under
16 (5.1 (3.5 to 7.4)/1000 hours) and senior players (2.7
(1.9 to 3.9)/1000 hours). Match injury incidence was 13
times higher than training injury incidence (27.4 (21.5
to 34.9) vs 2.3 (1.8 to 3.0) injuries/1000 hours). Injuries
to the lower extremities had the highest incidence (3.9
(2.1 to 7.2) injuries/1000 hours), with the knee being the
most commonly injured site (n=30, 23.8%). The most
common type of injury was a joint sprain (1.9 (1.5 to
2.5) injuries/1000 hours), and the most common injury
mechanism was direct contact with another player (1.5
(1.1 to 2.0) injuries/1000 hours). Most injuries were
moderately severe (2.0 (1.5 to 2.6) injuries/1000 hours).
CONCLUSION: Ghanaian academy football players
have a substantial risk of sustaining injuries, especially
among younger players. Further studies should focus
on developing specific injury prevention programmes in
under-researched football-playing populations.
