IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i6p3120-d519429.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Influence of Size and Maturity on Injury in Young Elite Soccer Players

Author

Listed:
  • Natascia Rinaldo

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Emanuela Gualdi-Russo

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Luciana Zaccagni

    (Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy)

Abstract

The involvement of pre-adolescents in soccer is becoming more and more frequent, and this growing participation generates some concerns about the potential factors for sports injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate sports injuries in younger (U9–U11) and older (U12–U13) children playing soccer at an elite level, analyzing potential anthropometric and maturity risk factors. A total of 88 elite soccer players aged 9–13 years were investigated. Weight, stature, and sitting height were measured at the start and at the end of the competitive season, computing the relative growth velocities. Additional body composition parameters were taken during a second survey. Maturity offset was calculated using predictive equations based on anthropometric traits such as years from age at peak height velocity (YPHV). Injuries suffered during the competitive season were recorded. Maturity and some anthropometric characteristics were significantly different according to the presence or absence of injuries among the players. Multiple logistic regression revealed that YPHV, body mass index (BMI), and calf muscle area were the factors most significantly correlated with injuries. Players with increased BMI, with decreased calf muscle area, and who were closer to their peak height velocity, were at a higher risk of injury. Findings showed that a monitoring program of anthropometric characteristics taking into account the maturational stage needs to be developed to prevent injuries.

Suggested Citation

  • Natascia Rinaldo & Emanuela Gualdi-Russo & Luciana Zaccagni, 2021. "Influence of Size and Maturity on Injury in Young Elite Soccer Players," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:3120-:d:519429
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3120/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/3120/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Natascia Rinaldo & Stefania Toselli & Emanuela Gualdi-Russo & Nicoletta Zedda & Luciana Zaccagni, 2020. "Effects of Anthropometric Growth and Basketball Experience on Physical Performance in Pre-Adolescent Male Players," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, March.
    2. Lisa Steidl-Müller & Carolin Hildebrandt & Erich Müller & Christian Raschner, 2020. "Relationship of Changes in Physical Fitness and Anthropometric Characteristics over One Season, Biological Maturity Status and Injury Risk in Elite Youth Ski Racers: A Prospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-10, January.
    3. Lucia Mala & Tomas Maly & Lee Cabell & Mikulas Hank & David Bujnovsky & Frantisek Zahalka, 2020. "Anthropometric, Body Composition, and Morphological Lower Limb Asymmetries in Elite Soccer Players: A Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-12, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emanuela Gualdi-Russo & Luciana Zaccagni, 2021. "Physical Activity for Health and Wellness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-6, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin Burtscher & Martin Niedermeier & Hannes Gatterer, 2021. "Editorial on the Special Issue on “Mountain Sports Activities: Injuries and Prevention”," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-7, February.
    2. Andrea Di Credico & Giulia Gaggi & Barbara Ghinassi & Gabriele Mascherini & Cristian Petri & Riccardo Di Giminiani & Angela Di Baldassarre & Pascal Izzicupo, 2020. "The Influence of Maturity Status on Anthropometric Profile and Body Composition of Youth Goalkeepers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
    3. Paulo Francisco de Almeida-Neto & Paulo Moreira Silva Dantas & Vanessa Carla Monteiro Pinto & Tatianny de Macêdo Cesário & Nathália Monastirski Ribeiro Campos & Eduardo Estevan Santana & Dihogo Gama d, 2020. "Biological Maturation and Hormonal Markers, Relationship to Neuromotor Performance in Female Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, May.
    4. Cristina Rotllan & Ginés Viscor, 2023. "Winter Sports Injuries in Elite Female Athletes: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-9, May.
    5. Zi Wang & Yihui Cai & Junqi Wu & Siyuan Xie & Wei Jiao, 2022. "Relationship between Lower Extremity Fitness Levels and Injury Risk among Recreational Alpine Skiers: A Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-12, August.
    6. Marcin Lijewski & Anna Burdukiewicz & Jadwiga Pietraszewska & Justyna Andrzejewska & Aleksandra Stachoń, 2021. "Asymmetry of Muscle Mass Distribution and Grip Strength in Professional Handball Players," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Arnau Sacot & Víctor López-Ros & Anna Prats-Puig & Jesús Escosa & Jordi Barretina & Julio Calleja-González, 2022. "Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular and Endurance Interventions on Youth Basketball Players: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-34, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:3120-:d:519429. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.