41% of girls who play team sports suffer from sports injuries requiring medical attention

Young athletes are increasingly prone to health problems related to sports. In order to determine the epidemiological profile of young female athletes in Catalonia who participate in some of the most widely played team sports - football, basketball and volleyball - and examine the risk factors involved in experiencing injuries, a study has been carried out within the framework of the Young athletes are increasingly prone to health problems related to sports. In order to determine the epidemiological profile of young female athletes in Catalonia who participate in some of the most widely played team sports - football, basketball and volleyball - and examine the risk factors involved in experiencing injuries, a study has been carried out within the framework of the Young athletes are increasingly prone to health problems related to sports. In order to determine the epidemiological profile of young female athletes in Catalonia who participate in some of the most widely played team sports - football, basketball and volleyball - and examine the risk factors involved in experiencing injuries, a study has been carried out within the framework of the SONAR project, carried out by the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) and the College of Physical Exercise and Sports Professionals of Catalonia (COPLEFC). The results of the study show that in a sports season, 41% of female athletes need to receive medical attention due to a sports injury, and that the percentage of injured female athletes is higher in basketball and football. 

Young athletes are increasingly prone to health problems related to sports. In order to determine the epidemiological profile of young female athletes in Catalonia who participate in some of the most widely played team sports - football, basketball and volleyball - and examine the risk factors involved in experiencing injuries, a study has been carried out within the framework of the SONAR project  c carried out by the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) and the College of Physical Exercise and Sports Professionals of Catalonia (COPLEFC). The results of the study show that in a sports season, 41% of female athletes need to receive medical attention due to a sports injury, and that the percentage of injured female athletes is higher in basketball and football. 

The research shows that the most common injuries among female athletes are acute (i.e. they appear suddenly while they are playing), in the lower limbs (in the ankles and knees), long-term (meaning they have to give up training for more than 28 days), and take place during training and without the athlete coming into contact with another person or the ball.

The results of the study, which was of particular interest due to its focus on female athletes, were presented this morning at a press conference at the Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre at UVic-UCC. During the event, the vice-rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at UVic-UCC, Eva Espasa, provided some context for the study, by highlighting "the university's extensive experience in research in the social sciences and in sport in particular, and the various consolidated research groups linked to sport, physical exercise and movement that belong to it." In addition to stressing that the study is applied research, and that it could be very useful for sports clubs and organizations all over Catalonia, Espasa also highlighted the fact that the study focuses on female athletes, in "a traditionally masculinised field." 

Javier Peña, the principal investigator of the study and the director of the Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre at UVic-UCC, pointed out that although conducting an epidemiological study was not the initial objective, "this research shows the importance of gathering epidemiological data", since only two studies similar study to this one have been carried out in Spain to date. Peña said that this study should "be the starting point for continuing to work on the prevention of sports injuries, as this is a public health problem and prevention policies are needed." The researchers Martí Casals and Beatriz Gil, members of the Sport, Exercise and Human Movement (SEaHM) research group at UVic-UCC and the Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre, also took part in the presentation. They explained the application that was used, which provided a large volume of information with fully validated systems, and the fieldwork that was carried out, respectively.

Risk factors

The study, which was the subject of the article "Epidemiologia i factors de risc en noies joves esportistes: bàsquet, futbol i voleibol" [Epidemiology and risk factors in young female athletes: basketball, football and volleyball] published in the journal Apunts. Educació física i esports on 1 April, was based on a survey of 1,235 girls aged between 11 and 21 years old, from 168 teams belonging to 17 sports clubs (8 basketball teams, 3 soccer teams and 6 volleyball teams) in Catalonia. The study examines the risk factors for injuries among children and young people, including biological maturing, body measurements, the quality of training, for physical fitness and in particular, factors associated with gender. As regards this latter factor, while men are more prone to suffer traumatic injuries, women are more likely to experience injuries that require reconstructive surgery.

The results of the study show that basketball is the sport with the highest percentage of players injured (48%), followed by football (38%) and volleyball (30%). Acute/traumatic injuries (67%) are the most common type, followed by injuries with a repeated mechanism and gradual onset (17.5%) and injuries caused by various possible mechanisms (14.5%), such as anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Ankle injuries

Among female athletes, the anatomical area that is most commonly injured is usually the ankle (35.5%), followed by the knee (17%), the hands or fingers (13.6%), the Achilles tendon (6%) and the wrist (5.5%), among other areas. In comparison to other studies that present a predominance of knee injuries, this study observed an increase in ankle injuries. "This could be explained by the explosive action involved in jumping, which is very common in basketball and volleyball, as well as changes of direction and playing on uneven surfaces in the case of football," says Javier Peña. In the case of volleyball, young female athletes are advised to play a second sport in order to train using different movements which avoid repetitive patterns to help them reduce the risk of injuries.

In general, female athletes have more injuries in the hips, lower legs, and shoulders than male athletes, although a great deal depends on the type of sport. The influence of hormones, neuromuscular control, biomechanics, anatomy and social differences in participation in sports are also gender-related variables associated with sports injuries.

The study also emphasises that 12% of female athletes suffered from a second injury that required medical attention during the same sports season, and the most common diagnosis in these cases is a sprained ankle (38%), fracture (12%) and capsulitis of the fingers (11%).

During training and without any contact

According to the situation involved, 51% of the injuries studied took place during training; 29% happened during an official match and 3% occurred during a friendly match. The majority of injuries (43%) occur without any kind of contact taking place, while 31% are due to contact with a player and 19% due to contact with the ball.

Finally, the study confirms that early specialisation in sports also has an impact on the occurrence of sports injuries. Girls who train in a single type of sport for more hours per week than the number of years in their age (e.g. a 10-year-old girl who trains 11 hours per week) or those who spend twice as many hours playing a single sport rather than involved in free play are more likely to suffer from injuries.

One of the main conclusions of the study is that "in order to prevent injuries among young athletes, we need to understand the problem and study how it affects each specific situation," explains Javier Peña. For this reason, he says that "it is important that people in sports agents use tools to collect their own epidemiological data, and organise educational programmes among coaches, so that they develop the best prevention protocols and strategies in highly vulnerable populations."

In addition to Javier Peña, who was the principal investigator, Beatriz Gil-Puga, Aitor Piedra, Albert Altarriba-Bartés and Martí Casals, members of the Sport, Exercise and Human Movement (SEaHM) research group at UVic-UCC and the Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre took part in the study. The researchers Eduard Loscos-Fàbregas (Club Deportivo Alavés), Ivan Chulvi-Medrano (University of Valencia) and Antonio García de Alcaraz (INEFC and University of Almería) also participated.