Injuries in Argentinian football: an epidemiological study of six professional clubs of second-division during the 2022 season.

Abstract

To describe thepattern of injuries in the second division of men's professional football in Argentina. This descriptive prospective multicentric study included 195players from six teams. The methods adhered to the football extension of theinternational olympic committee (IOC) consensus statement on injurysurveillance. A time-loss injury definition was used. Primary outcomes includedinjury incidence rates, types of common injuries and time loss. Theoverall injury incidence rate was 3.67 injuries per 1000 hours(h) of footballexposure (95% CI: 2.6 - 4.6). In matches, the incidence rate was 26.42/1,000 h(95% CI: 21.55 to 32.08) and in training it was 1.91/1,000 h (95% CI:  1.54 to 2.33). The overall injury burden was84.10 days lost per 1000 h (95% CI 45.81; 122.4). The injury types with the highest time-lossburden were muscle injury (31.56 per 1000 h 95% CI 27.660; 35.630) and ligamentsprains (32.799 per 1000 h 95% CI 17.370; 51.080). Thisstudy is one of the first surveillance studies of professional men's footballin South America, demonstrating the feasibility of surveillance in the ArgentinianFootball Association (AFA), and providing valuable insights into theepidemiology of injuries in this region. The results highlight several notablefindings, including the relatively high rates of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) injuries and training-related injuries, suggesting the presence of a distinctive injury pattern in AFA league compared to other regions worldwide,emphasizing the need for region-specific prevention and management strategies.These findings can inform future policies and practices aimed at reducinginjury rates and improving player health and team performance.