Retrospective Review of Injury Patterns Among Ghanaian Footballers During the 2009-2010 League Season
Abstract
Background The increased popularity of football in addition to the physical and mental demands placed on players increase the risk of soccer injuries. We set out to identify injury patterns among footballers involved in selected Glo sponsored Ghana premier league games during the 2009/2010 season. Methodology Digital video compact discs (DVDs) of thirty randomly selected 2009/2010 matches were acquired for the study from the Ghana Football Association. A Samsung DVD player and television set were used to playback and watch the matches. The researchers stopped the video immediately an injury occurred and the disc was then put in slow playback movement whilst the occurrence of injury was recorded on an injury report form. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20. Results A total of 139 injuries were recorded during the study with an average injury incidence of 4.63±1.99 injuries per match. Tackling attempts (51.1%) was the predominant mechanism of injury with the ankle (26.6%) being the most injured body part. There was a significant association between player position and number of injuries suffered (p=0.038) and a significant association observed between player position and severity of injuries (p = 0.042). The uses of icepack (34.5%) and vapocoolant spray (32.4%) were the most common first aid treatment for the injuries sustained. Conclusion The study indicated that professional football players in Ghana are exposed to high injury risks as evident by the relatively high injury incidence.
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