Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review

Background Ankle injuries are some of the most common injuries among footballers and can prevent players from participating in sport. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) developed FIFA injury prevention programs to reduce overall football injuries, but their effectiveness on...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Alhazmi, Emad Alhazmi, Wael Abdulghani Alghamdi, Mohammed Zalah, Shadab Uddin, Moattar Raza Rizvi, Fuzail Ahmad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-03-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/18910.pdf
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author Mohammad Alhazmi
Emad Alhazmi
Wael Abdulghani Alghamdi
Mohammed Zalah
Shadab Uddin
Moattar Raza Rizvi
Fuzail Ahmad
author_facet Mohammad Alhazmi
Emad Alhazmi
Wael Abdulghani Alghamdi
Mohammed Zalah
Shadab Uddin
Moattar Raza Rizvi
Fuzail Ahmad
author_sort Mohammad Alhazmi
collection DOAJ
description Background Ankle injuries are some of the most common injuries among footballers and can prevent players from participating in sport. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) developed FIFA injury prevention programs to reduce overall football injuries, but their effectiveness on a particular joint, such as the ankle, was not assessed. Therefore, this project aims to investigate if these FIFA injury prevention programs are particularly effective in reducing ankle injuries. Method A systematic review was conducted with the following criteria for study selection: Randomized controlled trials (RTCs) comparing the FIFA programs (FIFA 11 the old version and FIFA 11+) with the usual training for the teams. Other studies that included the number or percentage of ankle injuries as an outcome. Sample: Male and female footballers aged between 13 and 40 years old and without any restriction on particular skill levels. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale (PEDro) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results The search strategy identified five RCTs that used the FIFA programs. The included studies had a good-to-excellent methodological quality according to the PEDro scale (ranging from 5 to 7 out of 10). The pooled data from all the included studies indicated that the FIFA 11 and FIFA 11+ programs were effective in reducing the ankle injury rate by 14%, while pooled results from the studies that used the FIFA 11+ program significantly reduced ankle injury rate by 32%. However, the FIFA 11 program was not effective in reducing the ankle injury rate. Conclusion The FIFA programs, and especially the FIFA 11+ program, appear to be more effective than the usual training in preventing ankle injuries among footballers.
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spelling doaj-art-ff3276913fa1421fb8de1fec155822bf2025-08-20T02:52:49ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-03-0113e1891010.7717/peerj.18910Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic reviewMohammad Alhazmi0Emad Alhazmi1Wael Abdulghani Alghamdi2Mohammed Zalah3Shadab Uddin4Moattar Raza Rizvi5Fuzail Ahmad6Medical Rehabilitation Center, King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaLaboratory and Blood Bank, King Fahd Central Hospital, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaSports Injuries Rehabilitation Center, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi ArabiaMedical Rehabilitation Center, King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Physical Therapy, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Healthcare Professions, DIT University, Mussoorie-Diversion Road, Village Makkawala, Dehradoon, Uttrakhand, IndiaRespiratort Care Department, College of Applied Sciences, Almaarefa University, Diriya, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaBackground Ankle injuries are some of the most common injuries among footballers and can prevent players from participating in sport. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) developed FIFA injury prevention programs to reduce overall football injuries, but their effectiveness on a particular joint, such as the ankle, was not assessed. Therefore, this project aims to investigate if these FIFA injury prevention programs are particularly effective in reducing ankle injuries. Method A systematic review was conducted with the following criteria for study selection: Randomized controlled trials (RTCs) comparing the FIFA programs (FIFA 11 the old version and FIFA 11+) with the usual training for the teams. Other studies that included the number or percentage of ankle injuries as an outcome. Sample: Male and female footballers aged between 13 and 40 years old and without any restriction on particular skill levels. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale (PEDro) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results The search strategy identified five RCTs that used the FIFA programs. The included studies had a good-to-excellent methodological quality according to the PEDro scale (ranging from 5 to 7 out of 10). The pooled data from all the included studies indicated that the FIFA 11 and FIFA 11+ programs were effective in reducing the ankle injury rate by 14%, while pooled results from the studies that used the FIFA 11+ program significantly reduced ankle injury rate by 32%. However, the FIFA 11 program was not effective in reducing the ankle injury rate. Conclusion The FIFA programs, and especially the FIFA 11+ program, appear to be more effective than the usual training in preventing ankle injuries among footballers.https://peerj.com/articles/18910.pdfAnkle injuryFIFA 11FIFA 11+FIFA Warm-Up-ProgramInjury preventionNeuromuscular training
spellingShingle Mohammad Alhazmi
Emad Alhazmi
Wael Abdulghani Alghamdi
Mohammed Zalah
Shadab Uddin
Moattar Raza Rizvi
Fuzail Ahmad
Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
PeerJ
Ankle injury
FIFA 11
FIFA 11+
FIFA Warm-Up-Program
Injury prevention
Neuromuscular training
title Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
title_full Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
title_fullStr Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
title_short Effectiveness of FIFA injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players: a systematic review
title_sort effectiveness of fifa injury prevention programs in reducing ankle injuries among football players a systematic review
topic Ankle injury
FIFA 11
FIFA 11+
FIFA Warm-Up-Program
Injury prevention
Neuromuscular training
url https://peerj.com/articles/18910.pdf
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