Green Brady, Schache Anthony G, Pizzari Tania
School of Health Sciences, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia.
School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2025 Sep 3;11(3):e002865. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002865. eCollection 2025.
To evaluate the onset, frequency and time loss impact of recurrent calf muscle strain injuries in elite male Australian football players over a decade. To explore how outcomes are affected by alternative recurrence definitions.
Calf muscle strain injuries were reported to the Soft Tissue Injury Registry of the Australian Football League (2014-2023). Cases were categorised as index versus recurrent injuries. Alternate recurrence definitions varied based on: (1) timing (ie, subsequent injuries occurring before or after full recovery (a return to full training) and (2) location (ie, subsequent injuries involving the same side but not necessarily same muscle vs only those confirmed to involve the same muscle).
563 injuries in 359 players were evaluated. Recurrences resulted in ≥2153 total days lost over 10 years and ≥35.6 days lost on average per injury. Recurrence frequencies within 2 years (13%-21.3%), within the same season (7.5%-13.9%) and within 2 months (2.9%-7.3%) varied depending on the definition. 20% of all subsequent injuries occurred before full recovery, and these injuries took on average 46.7±25.6 days to return to play.
Recurrent calf muscle strain injuries in elite male Australian football players commonly have prolonged time loss, irrespective of timing or location. A 2-year recurrence susceptibility is consistent across onsets, and cases that fail early can have a large impact when accounted for. We need to 'talk the same language' in research and practice to better understand and prevent recurrences for a given type of injury across different sports and sporting levels.
评估十年间澳大利亚精英男性足球运动员小腿肌肉反复拉伤损伤的发病情况、频率及对失时的影响。探讨不同复发定义如何影响结果。
小腿肌肉拉伤损伤报告至澳大利亚足球联赛软组织损伤登记处（2014 - 2023年）。病例分为初次损伤和反复损伤。不同的复发定义基于：（1）时间（即后续损伤发生在完全恢复（恢复全面训练）之前或之后）和（2）位置（即后续损伤涉及同一侧但不一定是同一肌肉，与仅确认涉及同一肌肉的损伤相比）。
对359名运动员的563例损伤进行了评估。反复损伤导致10年间总计至少损失2153天，每次损伤平均至少损失35.6天。两年内（13% - 21.3%）、同一赛季内（7.5% - 13.9%）和两个月内（2.9% - 7.3%）的复发频率因定义而异。所有后续损伤中有20%发生在完全恢复之前，这些损伤平均需要46.7±25.6天才能重返赛场。
澳大利亚精英男性足球运动员小腿肌肉反复拉伤损伤通常会导致较长时间的失时，无论时间或位置如何。两年内的复发易感性在各发病情况中是一致的，早期未恢复的病例在统计时会产生较大影响。我们需要在研究和实践中“使用同一种语言”，以便更好地理解和预防不同运动及运动水平中特定类型损伤后的复发情况。
