Body composition variations between injured and non-injured professional soccer players

Professional soccer is characterized by its physical demands, making players’ exposure to high injury risks a growing problem. It is crucial to study the factors associated with injuries in professional soccer. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between age, body composition, and others variables related with the injury profle of professional soccer players of a specifc Portuguese team. Also, it analyzed the impact of the injury profle on soccer’s variations in body fat (BF%), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and total body water (TBW) throughout the season. The sample comprised 31 male professional soccer players competing in the First Portuguese Soccer League. Older players had a higher prevalence of muscular injuries. Midfelders and forwards showed the highest number of muscular injuries during the season being quadriceps the most afected zone. Considering players’ BF% [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.42, F (7, 23) = 4.61, p= 0.002, r = 0.58], SMM [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.59, F (6, 23) = 2.70, p= 0.039, r = 0.41] and TBW [Wilks’ Lambda = 0.54, F (7, 23) = 2.80, p= 0.029, r = 0.46] there was a substantial main efect for the assessments performed throughout the season and the injury status. Age assumes relevance in explaining the injury profle. The impact of the injury profle on soccer’s variations in BF%, SMM and TBW throughout the season must be analyzed considering the clinical relevance.

Keywords

Professional soccer players Body composition Injury risks . Faculdade de Ciências Sociais

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/5195

Citation

Martins, F., França, C., Henriques, R., Ihle, A., Przednowek, K., Marques, A., ... & Gouveia, É. R. (2022). Body composition variations between injured and non-injured professional soccer players. Scientific reports, 12(1), 20779.