BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (Oct 2024)

Developing a data-driven multimodal injury and illness prevention programme in male professional football based on a risk management model: the IP2 NetWork

  • ,
  • Karim Chamari,
  • Athol Thomson,
  • Raouf Nader Rekik,
  • Montassar Tabben,
  • Roald Bahr,
  • Andreas Serner,
  • Louis Holtzhausen,
  • Olivier Materne,
  • Cosmin Horobeanu,
  • Karim Khalladi,
  • Sofiane Souissi,
  • Pieter D’Hooghe,
  • Paul Read,
  • Eirik Halvorsen Wik,
  • Marco Cardinale,
  • Riadh Miladi,
  • Daniel Kings,
  • Bahar Hassanmirzaei,
  • Nicol van Dyk,
  • Michail Pantouveris,
  • Yorck Schumacher,
  • Ihsan Abdullah,
  • Anas Abu Esba,
  • Akram Abid,
  • Ahmed Khellil Abbasi,
  • Abdulaziz Jaham Al-Kuwari,
  • Dennis Artuz,
  • Nizar Baccouche,
  • Mondher Barboura,
  • Fawzi Bendimerad,
  • Anis Belhadj,
  • Radhouane Ben Ghorbal,
  • Zaher Ben Soltane,
  • Brahim Boubaker,
  • Selim Boubaker,
  • Mokhtar Chaabane,
  • Souhail Chebbi,
  • Imad Daaji,
  • Ramadan Daoud,
  • Ovidiu Dragos,
  • Boudiaf ElHocine,
  • Zied Ellouze,
  • Konstantinos Epameinontidis,
  • Ahmed Gdhami,
  • Ahmed Gharbi,
  • Mondher Haddar,
  • Miguel Heitor,
  • Mourad Jelassi,
  • Hafid Maameri,
  • Pierre McCourt,
  • Nidhal Meddeb,
  • Mourad Mokrani,
  • Hicham Moutaouakkil,
  • Anthony Padayao,
  • Darren Paul,
  • Ricardo Pinto,
  • Alaaeddine Rahali,
  • Czarlon Ramos,
  • Jim Roa,
  • Daniel Sebo,
  • Djamel Senoussi,
  • Oussama Skhiri,
  • Mouloud Toumi,
  • Antonio Tramullas,
  • Amine Zouani

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2024-002101
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 4

Abstract

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Background Current injury prevention programmes in football are limited by a one-size-fits-all approach, which predominantly focuses on preventive exercise programmes while ignoring differences in risk profiles between individuals and teams.Objective To address this gap, we developed a new data-driven, customisable approach based on the principles of risk management. We collaborated with key stakeholders to identify focus areas for injury and illness prevention and determine their priorities.Setting The team medical and coaching staff included members from 17 professional football clubs, the national team and a youth football academy in Qatar.Methods In 2015, we launched a series of annual workshops under the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Programme. The workshops included club medical personnel and fitness coaches in a process to develop team-specific programmes for injury and illness prevention based on the principle of risk management. Over 2 years, workshops refined focus areas through discussions, surveys and small-group presentations, culminating in the creation a novel programme for football injury prevention.Results Out of 44 focus areas first identified, 23 were selected as priorities for inclusion in multimodal injury and illness prevention programmes. The identified focus areas represent a variety of aspects, including social/behavioural/lifestyle, exercise programmes/training, load management, recovery and equipment. The top priorities included communication, the Nordic hamstring exercise, training load, recovery strategies, nutrition, sleep, warm-up, the Copenhagen adduction exercise and core and dynamic stability.Conclusion We have developed a comprehensive framework for preventing injuries and illnesses in football grounded in the general principles of risk management. This framework has proven feasible and led to the creation of a new multicomponent programme, The Aspetar IP2 (Injury and Illness Prevention for Performance) NetWork, focusing on a range of areas beyond preventive exercise programmes only.