Injuries in Nigerian National Female Footballers at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China: A prospective case study

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the incidence, profile and treatment of injuries in the Nigerian national female footballers (the Super Falcons) during camping and competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China. A prospective descriptive case study was carried out. The team physiotherapist closely monitored all the training and competition matches and documented all injuries reported by the players. Information about the type and duration of exposure, the location and type of injury, diagnosis and treatment were recorded on injury report forms. A total of 60 injuries were reported throughout the study period. Thirty-eight (63.3%) and 22 (36.7%) of these injuries were reported during training and matches respectively. The incidence of injury was calculated as 0.68 injury per training session and 7.3 injuries per match. Strain (n=15, 25.0%) was documented as the most frequent diagnosis, while the thigh muscle was the most commonly injured body part (n=11, 18.4%) for both training and matches. A total of 262 separate applications of treatments were made. Cryotherapy (n=61, 23.3%) was the most frequently used treatment modality. The incidence of match injuries presented by the Super Falcons of Nigeria during the Beijing Olympics in China was notably high. The characteristics of injuries reported in this study are consistent with previous epidemiological studies on female footballers. There is a need for more elaborate prospective studies on injuries in elite female footballers in Nigeria.