The Epidemiology of Knee Injuries in Iranian Male Professional Soccer Players

The aim of this study was to investigate epidemiology of knee injuries in Iranian male professional soccer players. Information related to knee injuries were collected by interviewing injured athlete (Means ±SD; 23± 5/6 years, height 1/76± 0/54 m, weight 74/8± 6/2 Kg) and team physicians using a modified questionnaire. The results showed that 43 players out of 390 suffered from knee injuries. The anterior cruciate ligament was the most commonly injured ligament of the knee. There was a significant difference in incidence of injury between preferred and non-preferred leg (P =0.04). Most injuries occurred in the second half and commonly in final 15 minutes (P = 0.002). Incidence of non-contact injuries was significantly higher than contact injuries (P = 0.01). In conclusion, the incidence of knee injuries especially anterior cruciate ligament injury in Iranian professional soccer players is relatively high. More injuries in preferred leg and especially in the final 15 minutes of games should be more considered by team medical staff for preventing athletes from injury.