The University of Pretoria is looking into soccer injuries and trying to come up with solutions to timely intervene so that active players do not have to retire early from the game.

According to the university, too many professional sportspeople have to retire at the peak of their careers due to injury and live with the physical and mental consequences for the rest of their lives.

This study draws attention to proper surveillance programmes for players so that timely interventions can help maintain optimal health and performance during their active careers and beyond.

While research has focused on players’ injuries while active and when retired, a new study explores different health domains in professional players while they’re still active.

The results could be a game changer, the university said, in pointing out that soccer players have a shorter career duration than most other athletes, as they are being forced to retire in their prime due to persistent injuries.

Dr Lervasen Pillay, a specialist sports and exercise medical physician at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Sport, Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI), believes that better monitoring could advance their healthcare while they’re still active.

He says that research in soccer has mostly focused on retired players, with reporting on osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, mental health, and the effect on their neurocognitive function. Among active players, research is mostly concentrated on injuries and how that affects performance and return to play.

“Our research focuses on active professional male soccer players around the world, a subgroup of athletes that has been under-investigated. Since 2021, we have undertaken six sub-studies among active professional male footballers,” he explains.

He believes that present and future results will add value to the development of surveillance processes to advance the healthcare of these players while they are still active and into retirement.

This initial evaluation of the healthcare status quo was a joint venture between UP’s Section Sports Medicine, a specialised postgraduate course for medical doctors with a keen interest in sports medicine, and the University of Amsterdam.

“Our published results provide baseline data on the physical, mental health, and neurocognitive well-being of active professional male soccer players worldwide, but this is just a first step,” Pillay explains.

The research is supported by the Drake Foundation Football Study and Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels, a worldwide representative organisation for professional soccer players.

“There is potential to develop a health monitoring programme over the following 10 years, by utilising this baseline data collected through various study designs (such as surveys, data collection, or interviews with players and medical staff at soccer clubs worldwide) and further planned studies.”

Pillay explains that the study focused on aspects that currently lack data. Its findings included that international match calendar congestion influences physical and mental health performance significantly.

It was further found that clinical hip and knee osteoarthritis has a significant association with pain, function, and injury, which affects performance.

Another finding was that the prevalence and incidence of mental health symptoms associated with injuries or surgeries may negatively influence performance. There is an association between impairments of cognitive functioning and concussions, it was found.

“The clinical implications of these findings can be applied in the real-world environment, empowering practitioners, administrators, and other stakeholders to implement surveillance programmes among their players,” Pillay explains.

According to him, this will enable players to better identify when interventions may be required to maintain optimal athlete health and performance during their careers and even after retirement. While it is industry-specific, this research helps present and future professionals to access healthcare accordingly, Pillay says.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

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