September 1, 2000
View Full PaperInfluence of Definition and Data Collection on the Incidence of Injuries in Football
Key Result
Retrospective questionnaires significantly underestimated football injuries compared to weekly physician follow-ups, capturing only about a third of moderate and <10% of mild injuries.
Study Design
Type
Observational (n=264)
Structured PICO
Does weekly physician follow-up compared to retrospective questionnaires improve the accuracy of injury incidence reporting in football players?
P
Population
264 football players
I
Intervention
Weekly injury data collection by a physician during 1 year of follow-up
C
Comparator
Retrospective questionnaires completed by the players at the end of the observation period
O
Outcome
Incidence of injuries and complaintspatient reported
Retrospective questionnaires significantly underestimate the incidence of football injuries compared to weekly physician follow-up, highlighting the necessity of prospective data collection in sports injury research.
Abstract
Studies on the incidence of football injuries vary in the definition of injury, study design, methods of data collection, and observation periods. The aim of this study was to review the different methodologies applied in the evaluation of football injuries as well as to analyze the influence of data collection methods on the incidence of football injuries. In this study, injury data obtained weekly by a physician during 1 year of follow-up in 264 football players were compared with the results of retrospective questionnaires completed by the players at the end of the observation period. In the retrospective questionnaire, the incidence of injuries as well as of complaints was significantly lower than that found in the weekly follow-up examinations. Approximately every third moderate injury and less than 10% of the mild injuries were remembered retrospectively. The shorter the period of symptoms and the longer ago the injury occurred, the more frequently it was forgotten. However, even severe injuries, such as fractures, were not reported in the retrospective investigation. Based on the review of the literature and the data presented, recommendations in relation to study design, the definition of injury, and the calculation of incidence are proposed.