Stress fractures in elite male football players

The objective was to investigate the incidence, type and distribution of stress fractures in professional male football players. Fifty-four football teams, comprising 2379 players, were followed prospectively for 189 team seasons during the years 2001-2009. Team medical staff recorded individual player exposure and time-loss injuries. The first team squads of 24 clubs selected by UEFA as belonging to the 50 best European teams, 15 teams of the Swedish Super League and 15 teams playing their home matches on artificial turf pitches were included. In total, 51 stress fractures occurred during 1,180,000 h of exposure, giving an injury incidence of 0.04 injuries/1000 h. A team of 25 players can …