Different injury pattern in goalkeepers compared to field players: a three-year epidemiological study of professional football.

OBJECTIVES

Goalkeepers have a specific physiological and biomechanical profile including hip loading with increased frontal plane kinetics and explosive side jumps. The aim of this study is to analyze the injury incidence in professional goalkeepers and to compare this with field players.

DESIGN

Descriptive Epidemiology Study.

METHODS

Prospective (3 seasons, 2008-2011) registration of injuries and exposure of first division professional footballers of Qatar.

RESULTS

Of the 527 players, 49 were goalkeepers. Sixty-seven injuries occurred during 17.858 h of exposure. Goalkeepers had a lower total (p=0.01) and training (p=0.007) injury incidence than field players, while there was no injury difference during matches (p=0.279). Moreover, goalkeepers presented a lower incidence of injuries that were: non contact (p=0.002), traumatic (p<0.001), strains (p<0.001), thigh (p<0.001), and hamstring (p=0.038). Adductor strains were the most common subtype of injury for goalkeepers and this incidence was higher in goalkeepers than in field players (p=0.045). In goalkeepers, mean lay off time for adductor strains was 2.5 times longer than for hamstring strains. More than one third of the overuse injuries were hip and groin injuries. While the overall and lower body injury incidence in goalkeepers was lesser than in field players, upper body incidence was higher.

CONCLUSIONS

Football goalkeepers have a peculiar injury epidemiology, possibly due to their specific physiological and biomechanical performance requirements. Goalkeepers are prone to acute adductor and overuse hip and groin injuries, while muscle strains, in particular located in the hamstrings, are lower compared with field players. Specific prevention program should be implemented in this category of footballers.