Exposure and injury data in three cohorts of male football players
| Top-level | Elite | Amateur | p Value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure data | ||||
| Player-seasons, n | 6956 | 2014 | 241 | |
| Season exposure, h, mean (SD) | 232 (94)† | 259 (98)‡ | 107 (42)‡† | <0.001 |
| Season training exposure | 195 (79)† | 225 (84)‡ | 80 (32)‡† | <0.001 |
| Season match exposure | 37 (25)† | 34 (18)‡ | 28 (13)‡† | <0.001 |
| Overall injury data | ||||
| Total injuries, n | 11 581 | 3836 | 134 | |
| Injury incidence, total | 7.2 (7.0 to 7.3) | 7.4 (7.1 to 7.6) | 5.2 (4.4 to 6.1)‡† | |
| Injury incidence, training | 3.8 (3.7 to 3.9)† | 4.9 (4.7 to 5.1)‡ | 2.7 (2.1 to 3.6)† | |
| Injury incidence, match play | 25.3 (24.7 to 25.9)† | 23.5 (22.4 to 24.6)‡ | 12.3 (9.9 to 15.3)‡† | |
| Non-eligible injuries excluded§ | 1824 | 657 | 20 | |
| Injuries included | 9757 | 3179 | 114 | |
| Recurrent injury data | ||||
| No recurrence | 8142 | 2385 | 74 | |
| Recurrence, n (%) | 1615 (16.6)† | 794 (25.0)‡ | 40 (35.1)‡ | <0.001 |
| Early recurrence (<2 months) | 1236 (12.7)† | 670 (21.1)‡ | 38 (33.3)‡† | <0.001 |
| Delayed recurrence (>2 months) | 379 (3.9) | 124 (3.9) | 2 (1.8) | 0.500 |
| Recurrence incidence, total | 1.00 (0.95 to 1.05)† | 1.52 (1.42 to 1.63)‡ | 1.54 (1.13 to 2.11)‡ | |
| Recurrence incidence, training | 0.58 (0.54 to 0.62)† | 1.19 (1.10 to 1.30)‡ | 0.57 (0.32 to 1.03)† | |
| Recurrence incidence, match play | 3.22 (3.01 to 3.45) | 3.72 (3.29 to 4.21) | 4.36 (3.03 to 6.28) | |
*p Values for overall comparison of column proportions (χ2 test) or means (ANOVA).
†Statistically significant pairwise difference (p<0.0167, Bonferroni correction) compared with Elite.
‡Statistically significant pairwise difference (p<0.0167, Bonferroni correction) compared with Top-level.
§Contusions, lacerations, abrasions, concussions and dental injuries were not eligible for categorisation into recurrence or not,27 and were excluded from analyses.
ANOVA, analysis of variance.