Injuries in Indoor Soccer

Abstract

We conducted a prospective study of soccer injuries during the Soccer America Dawn to Dark Indoor Soc cer Tournament, which was organized by the Lake Placid Soccer Center, Lake Placid, New York, 1993. Eight hundred twenty-four players competed in open men's, open women's, over-30 men's, and mixed divi sions. The overall rate of injury per 100 player hours was 4.44, with a rate of 5.79 in the open men's, 4.74 in the open women's, 2.73 in the over-30 men's, and 1.54 for the mixed divisions. The differences in injury rates for men versus women and men versus older men were not statistically significant. Twenty-five of the 38 injuries (65.8%) were mild, with 27 injuries (71.4%) occurring in the lower extremities. Ankle sprains were the most common injuries and combined ligamentous injuries to the knee were the most common severe injuries. As the injuries increased in severity, they were more likely to be noncontact injuries. The data demon strate the low incidence of injury in male and female indoor soccer participants. The data also show the similarity in the types of injuries sustained by indoor and outdoor soccer players.