Effects of Soccer Cleats Worn vs Lower Extremity Injuries in the English Premier League

Abstract

Category: Sports; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: As the most popular sport in the world, soccer has driven increased physical demands and higher levels of intensity, resulting in higher injury incidence amongst players. Biomechanical and epidemiological studies suggest that cleats likely play a significant role in the risk of lower extremity injuries for soccer players. The purpose of our study is to analyze cleat models and stud patterns worn by players who sustained lower extremity injuries during the English Premier League (EPL) 2021-22 season. Methods: Player injury data for 20 soccer teams was analyzed from the EPL 2021-22 season, which spanned from August 13, 2021 to May 22, 2022. The injured player cohort was established using Transfermarkt.com , a large, European-based website specializing in soccer-related news, scores, and statistics. Player injuries were separated into seven categories: ankle, calf, foot, hamstring, knee, lower leg, and thigh. Soccer cleat data was obtained from footballbootsdb.com, a publicly available, statistical database that includes information from the top European-based leagues and from major soccer tournaments such as the World Cup. Product attributes including the number of studs, stud geometry, upper material, upper thickness, upper fit, lacing mechanism, and weight were collected and confirmed using the product websites along with online third-party cleat reviews. After exclusions, a total of 221 EPL players and their respective cleats were analyzed. Results: Our results suggest that certain cleat models and stud patterns have higher associated risk of lower extremity injuries. Very aggressive stud patterns were found to have significantly more injuries when directly compared to mildly aggressive stud patterns (p=0.005). Additionally, the odds of a player sustaining an injury to their ankle (OR=1.394, p=0.042), hamstring (OR=0.892, p=0.027), or knee (OR=1.595, p=0.037) were significant with very aggressive stud patterns, while the odds of a player sustaining a hamstring injury were significant with non-aggressive stud patterns (OR=1.297, p=0.037). When considering specific cleat models, there were significantly higher odds of a player sustaining a lower extremity injury in Nike Mercurial (OR=1.256, p=0.007), Adidas X (OR=1.622, p=0.008), Nike Phantom GT (OR=0.924, p=0.018), Adidas Predator (OR=1.290, p=0.030), and Nike Tiempo (OR=0.714, p=0.048). Conclusion: In the EPL 2021-2022 season, players that wear very aggressive stud patterns may be at higher risk for lower extremity injuries, when compared to those who wear mildly aggressive stud patterns. We suggest that players, clubs, and manufacturers should evaluate their choice in footwear to best mitigate their risk of lower extremity injury.