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  • The association between hip and groin injuries in the elite junior football years and injuries sustained during elite senior competition

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The association between hip and groin injuries in the elite junior football years and injuries sustained during elite senior competition
  1. B J Gabbe1,
  2. M Bailey1,
  3. J L Cook2,
  4. M Makdissi3,
  5. E Scase4,
  6. N Ames5,
  7. T Wood6,
  8. J J McNeil1,
  9. J W Orchard7
  1. 1Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  2. 2School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
  3. 3Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  4. 4Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia
  5. 5Geelong Football Club, Geelong, Australia
  6. 6Australian Football League, Melbourne, Australia
  7. 7School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Belinda Gabbe, NHMRC Population Health Research Fellow, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; belinda.gabbe{at}med.monash.edu.au

Abstract

Objective To establish the relationship between the history of hip and groin injuries in elite junior football players prior to elite club recruitment and the incidence of hip and groin injuries during their elite career.

Design Retrospective cohort study.

Setting Analysis of existing data.

Participants 500 Australian Football League (AFL) players drafted from 1999 to 2006 with complete draft medical assessment data.

Assessment of risk factors Previous history of hip/groin injury, anthropometric and demographic information.

Main outcome measurement The number of hip/groin injuries resulting in ≥1 missed AFL game.

Results Data for 500 players were available for analysis. 86 (17%) players reported a hip/groin injury in their junior football years. 159 (32%) players sustained a hip/groin injury in the AFL. Players who reported a previous hip or groin injury at the draft medical assessment demonstrated a rate of hip/groin injury in the AFL >6 times higher (IRR 6.24, 95% CI 4.43 to 8.77) than players without a pre-AFL hip or groin injury history.

Conclusions This study demonstrated that a hip or groin injury sustained during junior football years is a significant predictor of missed game time at the elite level due to hip/groin injury. The elite junior football period should be targeted for research to investigate and identify modifiable risk factors for the development of hip/groin injuries.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2009.062554

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    Footnotes

    • Funding This project was funded by the Australian Football League Research Board. Dr. Belinda Gabbe was supported by a Career Development Award (465103) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia during the preparation of this manuscript.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the Monash University Standing Committee on Ethics in Research involving humans.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.