@article {Estevebjsports-2020-102606, author = {Ernest Esteve and Marti Casals and Marc Saez and Michael Skovdal Rathleff and Mikkel Bek Clausen and Jordi Vicens-Bordas and Per H{\"o}lmich and Tania Pizzari and Kristian Thorborg}, title = {Past-season, pre-season and in-season risk assessment of groin problems in male football players: a prospective full-season study}, elocation-id = {bjsports-2020-102606}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1136/bjsports-2020-102606}, publisher = {British Association of Sport and Excercise Medicine}, abstract = {Objective We assessed past-season, pre-season and in-season risk factors to investigate their association with an in-season groin problem in male amateur football players.Methods Past-season groin-pain information and pre-season short-lever and long-lever adductor squeeze strength were obtained at baseline, together with anthropometrics (weight, lower limb lever length) and player age. In-season hip-related and groin-related sporting function was monitored every 4 weeks using the Sports and Recreation (Sport) subscale from the Hip And Groin Outcome Score questionnaire (HAGOS (Sport)). Groin problems, including time-loss groin injuries and groin pain irrespective of time loss, were collected over a 39-week competitive in-season. We estimated relative risk (RR), and 95\% credibility interval (ICr) from logistic regressions fitted in a Bayesian framework.Results Players (n=245) suffering from groin pain during the past-season had 2.4 times higher risk of experiencing a groin problem in the new season (2.40 RR; 95\% ICr 1.5 to 3.7). This risk was reduced by 35\% (0.65 RR; 95\% ICr 0.42 to 0.99) per unit (N{\textperiodcentered}m/kg) increase in the long-lever adductor squeeze test. Player age, short-lever squeeze test and the HAGOS (Sport) scores were not associated with the risk of a groin problem.Conclusions Past-season groin pain increased the risk of a groin problem in the new in-season. This risk was reduced by higher pre-season long-lever adductor squeeze strength. Past-season groin-pain information and long-lever adductor squeeze strength can be quickly obtained during pre-season to identify players with an elevated risk of in-season groin problems. This may be key to reduce these problems in the new season.}, issn = {0306-3674}, URL = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/09/bjsports-2020-102606}, eprint = {https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/09/bjsports-2020-102606.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of Sports Medicine} }