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Main Article Content
Factors associated with injuries among first-division Rwandan female soccer players
Abstract
Objectives: To establish factors associated with soccer injuries among first-division Rwandan female soccer players.
Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, self-administered questionnaires were used to investigate factors associated with injuries among soccer players.
Results: Almost half of the 300 participants (45%) indicated having been injured in the three seasons prior to the study. More than half (52.6%) were recurrent injuries. The ankle was the most common body part injured. Intrinsic factors associated with injuries were age, excessive ankle range of motion, pre-menstrual symptoms, and previous injury (p-value < 0.05). Extrinsic factors associated with injuries were use of oral contraceptive pills, (OCP), competition level, use of protective equipment, and player’s position.
Conclusions: The large number of recurring injuries was notable, emphasizing the importance of prevention strategies and access to adequately trained medical personnel as research has shown a significant reduction in the prevalence of recurring injuries after the introduction of effective prevention programmes.
Keywords: female soccer players, injuries, intrinsic and extrinsic factors
African Health Sciences 2013; 13(4): 1021 - 1026
