Evolution of injury burden in Qatari professional football — 8 season data from the Aspetar Injury and Illness Surveillance Programme
2024

Injury Trends in Qatari Professional Football

Sample size: 1466 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Chamari Karim, Rekik Raouf Nader, Chaabane Mokhtar, Chebbi Souhail, Daoud Ramadan, Eirale Cristiano, Schumacher Yorck Olaf, Tabben Montassar, Bahr Roald

Primary Institution: Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar

Hypothesis

What are the incidence, characteristics, and patterns of professional football injuries in Qatar over eight seasons?

Conclusion

The study found a significant decrease in gradual onset injuries and a high burden of ACL and hamstring injuries in Qatari professional football.

Supporting Evidence

  • The overall injury burden was 129 days/1000 h.
  • There was a significant decreasing trend in the incidence of gradual onset injuries.
  • The injury burden for match injuries was greater than for training injuries.
  • Hamstring muscle strain was the most frequent injury.
  • ACL complete tear had the longest median time to return to play.

Takeaway

This study looked at injuries in Qatari football players over eight seasons and found that while some injuries are decreasing, others, like ACL tears, are still a big problem.

Methodology

An observational cohort study collecting injury data from 17 professional football teams in Qatar over eight seasons.

Potential Biases

Data quality may be affected by the subjective nature of injury reporting by team medical staff.

Limitations

Potential under-reporting of injuries and missing data due to reliance on team physicians for data collection.

Participant Demographics

Adult male professional footballers from 17 teams in Qatar.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p = 0.0012

Confidence Interval

[95% CI: 128–130]

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.5114/biolsport.2025.139089

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