Injuries in Recreational Footballers and the Severe Consequences of Player-to-Player Contact: A Prospective Observational Study

Introduction Football is the most popular sport in the world with its wide audience and important economic effects. This game is mainly played by professional football players, it is also an activity that is frequently played by non-professionals. Although members of the public mostly engage in this sport as a hobby and to develop a healthy lifestyle, vital injuries, such as head and thorax trauma can also occur during these recreational activities. In this study, our aim was to identify these severe traumas, investigate their causes and mechanisms, and make suggestions to reduce trauma among recreational football players. Methods This prospectively designed study included players aged over 14 years who presented to the emergency department with an injury incurred during a recreational football match activity. The demographic characteristics of the patients, warm-up status, match conditions, field conditions, and injury mechanisms, as well as post-injury outcomes, were recorded and analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. Results There were 167 patients included in the study and 140 of these patients were eligible for the study. We identified 45 cases with poor outcomes such as pneumocephalus, rib fractures, pneumothorax, Achilles tendon rupture, and bone fractures. (32.1%). Factors that could have an effect on poor outcomes were determined as a pre-match warm-up, pre-match sleep duration, and suitability of equipment. Player-to-player contact was determined as a mechanism of head and thorax trauma. Conclusions It may be beneficial to inform recreational football players about how player-to-player contact can cause head and thoracic trauma and establish a database of sports injuries in hospitals.