- Solveig Thorarinsdottir is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sports Medicine and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center.
- Read the full dissertation: Groin injuries in women’s football at nva.sikt.no
- Read more about the project
- Watch the defense live on NIH's YouTube channel
About the study
Previous studies of professional women’s football have mostly shown that the most common injuries are related to the knee and ankle. In the 1990s, knee and ankle injuries were also the most common injuries in men’s football, but today muscle injuries dominate. This shift occurred during the years when men’s football became more professional, the level of play increased, and the demands for high-intensity running and explosive actions grew. We are now seeing the same development in women’s football, making it likely that muscle injuries have also become more common there.
It has been more than 10 years since injuries were last mapped in the Norwegian women’s premier league (Toppserien).
For this reason, we at the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center conducted a comprehensive research project, in close collaboration with the Norwegian Football Federation, Toppfotball Kvinner, Idrettens Helsesenter, and the Toppserien clubs, to investigate what the current injury landscape looks like, with a particular focus on groin injuries. We used methods that are better suited to capturing overuse injuries, which groin injuries often are.
Knowing which injuries cause the greatest burden is a crucial first step when planning preventive training. With this project, we therefore aimed to move one step closer to answering the question: which injuries should we prioritise in injury prevention? We wanted to address this both overall, and specifically for groin injuries, as these have received very little attention among female football players in previous research.
What we found
Injuries are very common
• At any given time, 1 in 5 players had a health problem that affected how they trained or played.
• Almost half of all injuries developed gradually, rather than suddenly.
• Muscle injuries in the thigh were the most common injuries, but knee injuries were most severe
Groin injuries are a real issue
• Groin injuries were more frequent than previously reported and caused a lot of missed football.
• Adductor-related injuries (inner thigh muscles) were the most common type of injury
• Hip flexor injuries were the second most common and more common than previously found in men’s football
The Adductor Strengthening Programme works for female players as well—but more isn’t necessarily better
• Both training groups got stronger after 8 weeks.
• Strength gains were maintained during the season.
• The high-volume programme was not better than the, low-volume version.
Committee:
Chair:
Jorunn Sundgot Borgen, Department of Teacher Education and Sports, NIH
Opponents:
Professor Joanna Kvist, Linköping University, Sweden
Professor Keith Stokes, University of Bath, UK
Supervisors:
Main supervisor: Merethe Møller, Department of Teacher Education and Sports, NIH
Co-supervisor: Roald Bahr, Department of Teacher Education and Sports, NIH
The defense will be chaired by:
Prorector Live Steinnes Luteberget
Practical information
The defense is open to everyone and will be streamed live on NIH's YouTube channel.