Objective To review the literature to establish overall, match and training injury incidence rates (IIRs) in senior (≥18 years of age) women's football (amateur club, elite club and international). Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of overall, match and training IIRs in senior women's football, stratified by injury location, type and severity. Data sources MEDLINE via PubMed; EMBASE via Ovid; CINAHL via EBSCO and Web of Science were searched from earliest record to July 2021. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies (1) football players participating in a senior women's football league (amateur club or elite club) or a senior women's international football tournament; (2) the study had to report IIRs or provide sufficient data from which this outcome metric could be calculated through standardised equations; (3) a full-text article published in a peer-reviewed journal before July 2021; (4) a prospective injury surveillance study and (5) case reports on single teams were ineligible. Results 17 articles met the inclusion criteria; amateur club (n=2), elite club (n=10), international (n=5). Overall, match and training time-loss' IIRs are similar between senior women's elite club football and international football. Time-loss' training IIRs in senior women's elite club football and international football are approximately 6-7 times lower than their equivalent match IIRs. Overall time-loss' IIRs stratified by injury type in women's elite club football were 2.70/1000 hours (95% CI 1.12 to 6.50) for muscle and tendon, 2.62/1000 hours (95% CI 1.26 to 5.46) for joint and ligaments, and 0.76/1000 hours (95% CI 0.55 to 1.03) for contusions. Due to the differences in injury definitions, it was not possible to aggregate IIRs for amateur club football. Conclusion Lower limb injuries incurred during matches are a substantial problem in senior women's football. The prevention of lower limb joint, ligament, muscle and tendon injuries should be a central focus of injury prevention interventions in senior women's amateur club, elite club and international football. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020162895.
CITATION STYLE
Horan, D., Büttner, F., Blake, C., Hägglund, M., Kelly, S., & Delahunt, E. (2023, April 1). Injury incidence rates in women’s football: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective injury surveillance studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine. BMJ Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-105177
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