Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of football injuries among academy players in Ghana

Abstract

Objective To determine the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of match and training injuries among football players at an academy in Ghana.Methods In this prospective observational study, we followed 80 youth and adult football players at a Ghanaian academy over a season of 39 weeks. Medical attention and time-loss injuries, as well as exposure times of players, were recorded by resident physiotherapists using a standardised injury surveillance form. The average weekly injury prevalence was calculated. Injury incidence rates were calculated per 1000 exposure hours, with significance indicated as 95% CIs.Results 126 injuries were recorded during the season, with an average weekly injury prevalence of 4.1%. The overall injury incidence was 4.5 (95% CI 3.8 to 5.4) injuries per 1000 hours with under 14 (5.8 (3.3 to 10.2)/1000 hours) and under 18 players (5.7 (4.4 to 7.4)/1000 hours) recording a higher incidence than under 16 (5.1 (3.5 to 7.4)/1000 hours) and senior players (2.7 (1.9 to 3.9)/1000 hours). Match injury incidence was 13 times higher than training injury incidence (27.4 (21.5 to 34.9) vs 2.3 (1.8 to 3.0) injuries/1000 hours). Injuries to the lower extremities had the highest incidence (3.9 (2.1 to 7.2) injuries/1000 hours), with the knee being the most commonly injured site (n=30, 23.8%). The most common type of injury was a joint sprain (1.9 (1.5 to 2.5) injuries/1000 hours), and the most common injury mechanism was direct contact with another player (1.5 (1.1 to 2.0) injuries/1000 hours). Most injuries were moderately severe (2.0 (1.5 to 2.6) injuries/1000 hours).Conclusion Ghanaian academy football players have a substantial risk of sustaining injuries, especially among younger players. Further studies should focus on developing specific injury prevention programmes in under-researched football-playing populations.