Risk factors for soccer injuries

  Recently, a panel organized by the FIFA Medical Identification and Research Center has provided a uniform definition of a soccer injury: a soccer injury is a physical discomfort caused by a player during a soccer match or training session, regardless of whether special medical treatment is required and whether it affects the length of continued participation in soccer.  The incidence of soccer injuries has been inconsistent across studies, with lower rates of injury in adult females and adolescents, but significantly higher in adolescent female soccer players than in males in the same age group, and somewhat higher in players playing indoors.  Soccer injuries are mostly seen in the ankle and knee joints, but can also occur in the muscles and ligaments of the legs. The types of soccer injuries are mostly contusions, sprains and muscle strains. Younger players are more likely to have contusions and less likely to have strain injuries than adult players, and professional players are more likely to have strain injuries than amateur players.  Causes of soccer injuries: Researchers have distinguished between endogenous risk factors caused by the players themselves and exogenous risk factors caused by the external environment. Endogenous risk factors are the physical or psychological conditions of the individual player, such as age, joint stability, muscle strength and stiffness, muscle strength imbalance, old injuries and their adequacy of recovery. Exogenous risk factors are factors other than the player himself, such as athletic level, athletic load, training intensity and standard, field position, protective equipment and athletic shoes, field conditions, game rules and fairness of the game. However, endogenous and exogenous risk factors are also to some extent influenced by each other rather than being independent of each other. In addition to the intense confrontation during the game, celebrations after a goal can cause serious injuries.