Propensity for osteoarthritis and lower limb joint pain in retired professional soccer players

Background: Morphological changes characteristic of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) are common in soccer players. However, the clinical relevance of such anatomical variations is still not well-defined. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that high alpha angle values and/or acetabular retroversion index (ARI) are correlated with rotational range of motion (ROM) of the hip and that there are clinical-radiological diferences between the dominant lower limb (DLL) and nondominant lower limb (NDLL) in professional soccer players. Study Design: Cross-sectional. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A total of 59 male professional soccer players (average age 25.5 years, range 18-38 years) were evaluated in the preseason. As main outcome measures, we evaluated the alpha angle and the ARI and hip IR and ER ROM with radiographic analysis. Results: The measurements taken on DLL and NDLL were compared and a significant difference was found between the sides in the ER ( P = 0.027), where the DLL measures were 1.54° (95% CI, 0.18-2.89) greater than the NDLL. There were no significant differences between the sides in the measures of IR ( P > 0.99), total ROM ( P = 0.07), alpha angle ( P = 0.250), and ARI ( P = 0.079). The correlations between the rotation measurements and the alpha angle in each limb were evaluated and the coefficient values showed no correlation; so also between the ARI and rotation measures. Conclusion: Morphological changes of the femur or acetabulum are not correlated with hip IR and ER ROM in male professional soccer players. ER on the dominant side was greater than on the nondominant side. There was no significant difference in the other measurements between sides. Clinical Relevance: In clinical practice, it is common to attribute loss of hip rotational movement to the presence of FAI. This study shows that anatomical FAI may not have a very strong influence on available hip rotational movement in professional soccer athletes.

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Infrared thermography applied to lower limb muscles in elite soccer players with functional ankle equinus and non-equinus condition

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3388 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3388 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

David Rodríguez-Sanz ◽

Marta Elena Losa-Iglesias ◽

Daniel López-López ◽

César Calvo-Lobo ◽

Patricia Palomo-López ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Tibialis Anterior Muscle ◽

Direct Consequence ◽

Triceps Surae ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

The Status

Gastrocnemius-soleus equinus (GSE) is a foot-ankle complaint in which the extensibility of the gastrocnemius (G) and soleus muscles (triceps surae) and ankle are limited to a dorsiflexion beyond a neutral ankle position. The asymmetric forces of leg muscles and the associated asymmetric loading forces might promote major activation of the triceps surae, tibialis anterior, transverses abdominal and multifidus muscles. Here, we made infrared recordings of 21 sportsmen (elite professional soccer players) before activity and after 30 min of running. These recordings were used to assess temperature modifications on the gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, and Achilles tendon in GSE and non-GSE participants. We identified significant temperature modifications among GSE and non-GSE participants for the tibialis anterior muscle (mean, minimum, and maximum temperature values). The cutaneous temperature increased as a direct consequence of muscle activity in GSE participants. IR imaging capture was reliable to muscle pattern activation for lower limb. Based on our findings, we propose that non-invasive IR evaluation is suitable for clinical evaluation of the status of these muscles.

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Pre-Season Bilateral Strength Asymmetries of Professional Soccer Players and Relationship with Non-Contact Injury of Lower Limb in the Season

Sport Mont ◽

10.26773/smj.190619 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Professional Soccer

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Does A Short Period of Lower Limb Strength Training Improve Performance in Field-Based Tests of Running and Agility in Young Professional Soccer Players?

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research ◽

10.1519/jsc.0b013e31816601e5 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 404-411 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Hugues Jullien ◽

Cécile Bisch ◽

Nasser Largouët ◽

Christophe Manouvrier ◽

Christopher J Carling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Strength Training ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Improve Performance ◽

Young Professional ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Lower Limb Strength ◽

Short Period

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Tensiomyography of selected lower-limb muscles in professional soccer players

Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology ◽

10.1016/j.jelekin.2012.06.003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 866-872 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Ezequiel Rey ◽

Carlos Lago-Peñas ◽

Joaquín Lago-Ballesteros

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Limb Muscles

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The Relationship between Preseason Common Screening Tests to Identify Inter-Limb Asymmetries in High-Level Senior and Professional Soccer Players

Symmetry ◽

10.3390/sym13101805 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 1805

Author(s):

Fernando J. Santos ◽

Aníbal J. Valido ◽

Inês S. Malcata ◽

Cátia C. Ferreira ◽

Dalton M. Pessôa Filho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Performance Enhancement ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Screening Tests ◽

Mean Values ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

And Performance ◽

High Level ◽

The Relationship ◽

Important Evidence

This study sought to examine inter-limb asymmetries in common screening tests performed during preseason and to analyze the relationship between the performance in the different tests. Nineteen high-level senior and professional soccer players (age: 23.2 ± 3.1 years; height: 181 ± 0.06 cm; body mass: 75.2 ± 4.8 kg) performed several common screening tests during preseason: Dorsiflexion lunge test (DLT); bent knee fall out test (BKFO); y-balance anterior test (YBT A); y-balance posterolateral test (YBT PL); Y-balance posteromedial test (YBT PM); Heel-rise test (HRT) and single leg hamstring bridge test (SLHBT). High levels of reliability (ICC > 0.88 and <0.94) were observed in all the studied variables. Inter-limb significant differences were observed in DLT and YBT PM test (p < 0.01) but YBT A, HRT and SLHBT presented trivial effect size (ES) (0.03; 0.07 and 0.13, respectively), contrary to DLT, BKFO and YBT PL, all with small ES (0.20; −0.23 and −0.22) and YBT PM, which revealed very large ES (2.91). Considering all data, high-level senior and professional soccer players present fairly good mean values of lower limb symmetry. Performance considering all tests was different, a fact associated with different biomechanical dynamics (e.g., YBT), nonetheless, the correlations between tests underline the relationship between these, which could represent important evidence to consider for injury prevention and performance enhancement programs.

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The Correlation of Hip Joint Passive Range of Motion with Lower Limbs Injuries in Professional Soccer Players

10.21203/rs.3.rs-19076/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elham Karaminia ◽

Hoomam Angoorani ◽

Ali Mazaherinezhad ◽

Bahar Hassanmirzaei ◽

Navid Moghadam

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Knee Injury ◽

Groin Pain ◽

Knee Injuries ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Muscle Strain ◽

Lower Limb Injuries ◽

Foot Injuries ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Limb Injuries

Abstract Introduction : Soccer is a popular sport with a high injury rate. Lower limb injuries are accounted for 85% of injuries in professional Soccer player. It is important to identify the predisposing factors in professional Soccer players for screening players at an increased risk of injury. It is unclear whether to assume limited hip range of motion (ROM) as one of these factors this study aimed to evaluate the association between hip passive ROM and lower limb injury in Iranian professional Soccer players.Design : This prospective cohort study was conducted on 266 male professional Soccer players (with a mean age of 24.91 ± 4.38 years) playing in the Iran Soccer Premium League during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 season. Baseline hip joint passive ROM was evaluated in all subjects. All athletes were followed for two consecutive seasons and their lower limb injuries causing at least an absent from a competitive match was reported. The association between hip ROM and the incidence of lower limb injuries was analyzed.Results : The most common lower limb injuries were ankle and foot injuries (12.4%), groin pain (11.5%) and muscle strain (10.9%), respectively. Restricted hip internal rotation (IR) was associated with a higher incidence of groin pain, ACL injury and knee injury. A significant correlation was observed between decreased hip external rotation (ER) with muscle strain and knee injuries. The higher knee injury was also associated with reduced hip abduction. There was no association between ankle and foot injuries and hip passive ROM.Conclusions : This study showed that hip passive ROM could be used to identify Soccer players at a higher risk of lower limb injuries. Hip rotational ROM and abduction limitation were significantly associated with the incidence of several common Soccer injuries, including groin pain, muscle strain and ACL/knee injuries and precedes their development and could be used as a screening tool for professional male soccer players.

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