Player Sex and Playing Surface Are Individual Predictors of Injuries in Professional Soccer Players

Abstract

Background: The factors contributing to soccer injuries and their influence on the occurrence of injury are controversial and inconclusive. This study aimed to determine the association between player characteristics and playing factors with injuries in professional soccer players. Methods: One hundred and fifty-two professional soccer players completed a self-administered questionnaire that asked about demographic information and injury profile, the type of playing surface on which they sustained their injury, medical treatment, and the time lost due to soccer injury at the end of the soccer season. Results: The injury rate was 44.74% (n = 68; males: 61.50% (n = 56), females: 19.70% (n = 12)). Players’ age (OR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.05–1.25, p < 0.002) and BMI (OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.06–1.38, p < 0.003) were significantly associated with soccer injuries. After adjusting for age and BMI, players’ sex (OR: 5.39, 95%CI: 2.11–13.75, p < 0.001), previous soccer injury (OR: 3.308, 95%CI: 2.307–29.920, p < 0.001), and playing surfaces (OR: 11.07, 95%CI: 4.53–27.03, p < 0.001) were the significant predictors of soccer injuries. Conclusion: Players’ age, BMI, sex, previous soccer injury, and playing surface were associated with injuries among professional soccer players. Old male athletes with high BMI, previous soccer injuries, and playing on natural grass were more likely to sustain soccer injuries than young female players with low BMI who had no previous injuries and played on synthetic surfaces.