A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players
Abstract Background Considering injuries as a serious problem which affects player availability and performance, soccer clubs have strong incentives to develop and implement various injury prevention programs (IPPs). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine, consolidate and...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01246-8 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849342136465489920 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniel Castillo Diego Marqués-Jiménez Maurizio Bertollo Marcos López-Flores Luca Bovolon Antonio De Fano Dario Pompa |
| author_facet | Daniel Castillo Diego Marqués-Jiménez Maurizio Bertollo Marcos López-Flores Luca Bovolon Antonio De Fano Dario Pompa |
| author_sort | Daniel Castillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Considering injuries as a serious problem which affects player availability and performance, soccer clubs have strong incentives to develop and implement various injury prevention programs (IPPs). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine, consolidate and summarize the research on the effects of various IPPs on injury incidence in youth soccer players. Methods A search was conducted in Cochrane Library, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 3827 records were identified through database searches which were filtered to 19 studies that met the selection and inclusion criteria. The search was concluded in December 2024. A methodological quality scale was also employed as a valuable tool to assess the risk of bias in the selected studies. Results A total sample of 28,200 youth soccer players were analyzed in the included studies. 12 studies reported positive effects of the IPP on overall injury incidence, while four studies found no significant effects. Moreover, most studies showed increasing effectiveness with higher adherence or compliance. Overall, injury prevention programs were shown to significantly decrease the likelihood of injury (RR = 0.615 [95% CI = 0.512; 0.739]; z = -5.20; p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses conducted for age (Q (1) = 2.84, p = 0.092), duration of intervention (Q (1) = 1.87, p = 0.172), type of injury prevention program (Q (1) = 0.00, p = 0.955) did not reveal significant differences in injury incidence, suggesting that the overall effect of injury prevention programs is not significantly influenced by these factors. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that different injury prevention programs are likely effective in reducing injury risk and lowering the injuries among youth soccer players, suggesting their potential protective effect in injury prevention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69713dcfb0db40508eae4bf346f0a730 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2052-1847 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation |
| spelling | doaj-art-69713dcfb0db40508eae4bf346f0a7302025-08-20T03:43:29ZengBMCBMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation2052-18472025-07-0117111910.1186/s13102-025-01246-8A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer playersDaniel Castillo0Diego Marqués-Jiménez1Maurizio Bertollo2Marcos López-Flores3Luca Bovolon4Antonio De Fano5Dario Pompa6Valoración del Rendimiento Deportivo, Actividad Física y Salud y Lesiones Deportivas (REDAFLED), Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, Faculty of Education, University of ValladolidValoración del Rendimiento Deportivo, Actividad Física y Salud y Lesiones Deportivas (REDAFLED), Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, Faculty of Education, University of ValladolidBehavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics (BIND) Center, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-PescaraSport Innovation HubBehavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics (BIND) Center, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-PescaraUniversità Telematica PegasoBehavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics (BIND) Center, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-PescaraAbstract Background Considering injuries as a serious problem which affects player availability and performance, soccer clubs have strong incentives to develop and implement various injury prevention programs (IPPs). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine, consolidate and summarize the research on the effects of various IPPs on injury incidence in youth soccer players. Methods A search was conducted in Cochrane Library, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 3827 records were identified through database searches which were filtered to 19 studies that met the selection and inclusion criteria. The search was concluded in December 2024. A methodological quality scale was also employed as a valuable tool to assess the risk of bias in the selected studies. Results A total sample of 28,200 youth soccer players were analyzed in the included studies. 12 studies reported positive effects of the IPP on overall injury incidence, while four studies found no significant effects. Moreover, most studies showed increasing effectiveness with higher adherence or compliance. Overall, injury prevention programs were shown to significantly decrease the likelihood of injury (RR = 0.615 [95% CI = 0.512; 0.739]; z = -5.20; p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses conducted for age (Q (1) = 2.84, p = 0.092), duration of intervention (Q (1) = 1.87, p = 0.172), type of injury prevention program (Q (1) = 0.00, p = 0.955) did not reveal significant differences in injury incidence, suggesting that the overall effect of injury prevention programs is not significantly influenced by these factors. Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that different injury prevention programs are likely effective in reducing injury risk and lowering the injuries among youth soccer players, suggesting their potential protective effect in injury prevention.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01246-8SoccerInjuryIncidencePreventionYouth |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Castillo Diego Marqués-Jiménez Maurizio Bertollo Marcos López-Flores Luca Bovolon Antonio De Fano Dario Pompa A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation Soccer Injury Incidence Prevention Youth |
| title | A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| title_full | A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| title_fullStr | A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| title_short | A systematic review and meta-analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| title_sort | systematic review and meta analysis of various injury prevention programs in youth soccer players |
| topic | Soccer Injury Incidence Prevention Youth |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01246-8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielcastillo asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT diegomarquesjimenez asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT mauriziobertollo asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT marcoslopezflores asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT lucabovolon asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT antoniodefano asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT dariopompa asystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT danielcastillo systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT diegomarquesjimenez systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT mauriziobertollo systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT marcoslopezflores systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT lucabovolon systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT antoniodefano systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers AT dariopompa systematicreviewandmetaanalysisofvariousinjurypreventionprogramsinyouthsoccerplayers |