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Simple questionaire may replace costly screening

Intoduction

Cand.med. Anders Hauge Engebretsen has shown that it is possible to identify football players with increased injury risk in a cheap and effective way. On January 7 he defended his PhD thesis on the subject "Football and injuries – screening, risk factors and prevention".

The incidence of injuries among adult male football players is considerable and high compared with most other team sports.

 

Studies from the professional leagues in Europe agree that sprains to the ankle and knee and strains to the hamstring and groin constitute the biggest problem.

 

This study was conducted among male subelite players in Norway.

 

The aim was to investigate whether the most common injuries in football could be prevented, to determine risk factors for the most common injuries and to see if screening for high risk athletes can be done.

 

No training – no effect

The results showed that the targeted randomized controlled trial did not affect injury risk. Due to low compliance it is difficult to conclude about the true effect of the training programs.

 

However, screening based on a simple questionnaire did identify players at increased injury risk.

 

Previous injury – higher risk

Regarding risk factors, previous injury was found to be a significant risk factor for ankle, hamstring and groin injuries, resulting in more than twice as high risk.

 

In addition, for groin injuries, weak adductor muscles was found to be a significant risk factor for new groin injuries, resulting in a four times higher injury risk.

 

In this study, the addition of more elaborate functional tests did not increase our ability to identify players at an increased risk of injury.

 

Supervisors: Professor Lars Engebretsen and professor Roald Bahr.

 

Read more about Anders Engebretsen's projects.

 

 

Dissertation Committee

1. Opponent: Professor Jan Ekstrand, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linkoping University, Sweden. 

2. Opponent: MD Per Holmich, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Amager University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.      

3. Opponent: Professor dr. philos. Inger Holm, Division of Rehabilitation, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.

 

Head: Professor Jan Erik Madsen, Department of clinical medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.

 

 

Program

15:15 - 16:15 Trial lecture (January 6), Auditoriet Kreftsenteret, bygning 11, Ullevål Universitetssykehus.


10.15 - 13:15 PhD presentation and defense (January 7), Gamle festsal, Urbygningen, Universitetet i Oslo, Karl Johansgt. 47.