injury profile of an iranian professional soccer team, in the premier league

purpose :   despite numerous studies which have been done regarding soccer injuries worldwide, there is lack of available data considering the epidemiology of injuries in the iranian soccer premier league , although it is the most popular sport in the country. t he main goal of this research was to determine the incidence of physical injuries in the studied population, considering other characteristics such as site, type and mechanism as well. methods:   twenty one adult male professional soccer players (age 24±3), members of a team (tehran-pas) participating in iranian premier league, were followed during a 4-month period. the injury characteristics and exposure times were recorded by the team physician during all the matches and training sessions. results:   the total exposure time was 2610 playing hours (2352 h of training versus 258 h of competition). eighty six percent of the injuries were acute. incidence of acute injuries was 16.5 ( 95% ci : 12-22) per 1000 hours of playing (11.5 per 1000 hrs of training and 62 per 1000 hrs of competition). the most common types of injuries were strains followed by contusions , each of which constituted 30% of acute injuries. more than 80% of injuries occurred in lower limbs, especially in thigh and groin regions. nearly 60% of acute injuries occurred in dominant side of the body, and collision was the reason of about half of the acute injuries. severity of more than 70% of the injuries was minor. on average each injury had led the player being off the field for about 10 days. conclusion:   the incidence of injury in this research is in range of numbers obtained in important international tournaments but the rate of injuries during training sessions is higher than comparable studies.