Shoulder injuries in amateur soccer players. An exploratory cross-sectional survey

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence, incidence of players reporting shoulder injuries in a non-probability sample of Italian amateur soccer players. We also wanted to explore the characteristics of injuries, predictive factors and differences between men's and women's leagues. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Anonymous online survey. Participants: Adult athletes playing on a first team of the Italian National Amateur Soccer League. Main outcome measures: Period prevalence, incidence, and characteristics of players reporting shoulder injuries over a soccer season. Results: Fifty-one out of 431 respondents reported shoulder injuries. The pooled period prevalence was 12.0% (95%CI [9, 15]), with an incidence of .46 (95%CI [.35, .60]) injured/1000 h of players exposure. Goalkeepers were more likely to be injured than outfield players (OR 5.15, 95%CI [2.27, 11.25]). The injury type stated was mainly contusion (n = 22, 43.1%). Among those reporting injuries, thirty-four (66.6%) respondents stated 0-7 days as time loss from sport activity, with no significant difference due to role (p=.161) CONCLUSIONS: Shoulder injuries have a relatively low impact on the participation of adult amateur players in soccer activities. Technical and medical staff need to monitor players after an injury to the shoulder in order to provide appropriate training, prevention of complications and educational programs.