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The Effect of Playing Position on Injury Risk in Male Soccer Players: Systematic Review of the Literature and Risk Considerations for Each Playing Position

October 11, 2018 | Surgery
Francesco Della Villa, MD ; Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD ; Lawrence J. Lemak, MD
Author and Disclosure Information

Authors’ Disclosure Statement: The authors report no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this article.

Dr. Della Villa is a Resident Sport Medicine Physician, Post Graduate School of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Bologna, Italy; and Education and Research Department, Isokinetic Medical Group, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Bologna, Italy. Dr. Mandelbaum is an Orthopedic Surgeon, Cedar Sinai Kerlan Jobe Institute, Los Angeles, California. Dr. Lemak is an Orthopedic Surgeon, Lemak Health, Birmingham, Alabama.

Address correspondence to: Francesco Della Villa, MD, Education and Research Department, Isokinetic Medical Group, FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Via di casteldebole 8/4 40132 Bologna, Italy. (tel, 00390512986800; email, f.dellavilla@isokinetic.com).

Francesco Della Villa, MD Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD Lawrence J. Lemak, MD . The Effect of Playing Position on Injury Risk in Male Soccer Players: Systematic Review of the Literature and Risk Considerations for Each Playing Position. Am J Orthop.

October 11, 2018

TAKE-HOME POINTS

  • Playing positions haven’t been extensively evaluated as an injury risk factor in elite, non-elite, and youth soccer (football).
  • Different playing positions may have different injury rates and patterns due to different load, different movement patterns, and peculiar combination of anticipated and non-anticipated (reactive movements).
  • The existing literature suggests that goalkeepers seem to be at lower general injury risk if compared to outfield players in male soccer (football).
  • There is also a tendency towards strikers (forwards) to be at higher risk of match (but not training) injuries. This result is however not consistent between all the studies considered and should be interpreted cautiously.
  • When studying injury risk in male soccer match and training injuries should be considered separately and playing position should be evaluated as a potential predictor of injury incidence.

The results of this systematic review reveal mixed reports on injury risk in relation to playing position, the more consistent results through studies was that GKs may be at lower injury risk compared to the outfield players, even if there wasn’t complete agreement. One should note that in modern soccer the specific role of any player at 1 position may not be entirely consistent with another player in the same position. Within the same “position group”, there may also be players with completely different qualitative playing demands (eg, wing defender and central defender). So, even with the strongest study design, it may be difficult to give a simple and clear message about playing position and injury risk due to the variability of the playing styles and players at each position.

This study has several limitations and the results must be considered and interpreted with caution. First, we limited our search to male soccer, so the results may not be applicable to female soccer. Secondly, the interpretation of study findings wasn’t easy because of the different report modalities of the different papers included in the systematic review. Finally, we included reports from a total of a 23-year time span and from different countries and continents. The game may have evolved through years and there may be differences in the style of playing within countries that potentially could interfere with injury risk.

However, this is the first paper systematically evaluating the existing literature on position specific injury risk in male soccer players. Future studies, with prospective design and a consistent method to evaluate the player position as a potential factor related to injury risk, are needed. Match and training injuries should be evaluated separately as playing position may be more related to match injury risk.

CONCLUSION

There is no agreement in the existing literature regarding weather or not player position influence the general injury risk in male soccer. The GKs may have a lower risk of injury if compared to outfield players.

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