Soccer Injuries in Adolescent and High School Athletes

High school athletes sustain more than 1.4 million injuries annually with a significant portion of soccer injuries occuring in the lower extremities.

Epidemiology

Soccer is the world's most popular sport with a significant number of players younger than 18 years old.
As of 2018, there are 11,924,000 soccer participants in the U.S. with more than 6 million participants between the ages of 6-17.
42.3% of female soccer players are between the ages of 6 and 12.
With such popularity comes injury.

The relationship between heading and concussion remains unclear. However, growing evidence suggests repetitive heading may be linked to future cognitive problems
There is no definitive evidence that wearing headgear of any kind or using a mouthguard will prevent concussions.
There are concerns that headgear may cause more aggressive heading and head challenges, leading to increased risk injury.

ACL prevention training programs i.e. FIFA 11 +
Have a pre-season physical examination
Minimize overuse as more than 10% of injuries can occur without proper rest
Hydrate adequately - waiting until you are thirsty is often too late!
Stop and see a medical professional if you suffer an injury
Speak with a sports medicine professional or athletic trainer if you have any concerns about injuries or prevention strategies.

National Federation of State High School Associations 2011-2012 survey results. http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=3282
U.S. Youth Soccer (usyouthsoccer.org)
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Kofotolis ND, Kellis E, Vlachopoulos SP. Ankle sprain injuries and risk factors in amateur soccer players during a 2-year period. Am J Sports Med. 2007 Mar;35(3):458-66.
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McLeod TC. National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Prevention of Pediatric Overuse Injuries: position statement. Journal of Athletic Training. 2011 ;46(2):206-220.
Levy ML. Concussions in soccer: a current understanding. World Neurosurg. 2012 Nov;78(5):535-44.
Niedfeldt MW. Head injuries, heading, and the use of headgear in soccer. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2011 Nov-Dec;l 0(6):324-9.

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Contact us to schedule an appointment to be evaluated for a sports-related injury with one of our sports medicine providers.

Provider	Specialty
Kevin Farmer, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Joshua Reside, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Ryan Roach, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Ridhi Sachdev, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Joshua Altman, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Manuel Britto, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Sarah Chrabaszcz, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Sara Gould, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Ryan Mark, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Alejandro Sanoja, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Nicholas Smith, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
David Tran, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine