The benefits of periodic health evaluation in professional football: A focus on musculoskeletal screening

Abstract

Injury and illness are common in professional football, causing substantial morbidity, and may have potentially negative long-term health consequences on the player. A periodic health evaluation (PHE) or screening examination is a widely used method to detect and manage health problems which may influence the athlete’s ability to train or compete. It is also used as a method to identify the athlete at risk with a view to implementing targeted prevention measures. FIFA encourages all football teams at the elite level to complete the football-specific Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA), which includes a comprehensive cardiovascular, general medical and musculoskeletal assessment. However, there has been limited research into the effectiveness of PHE, with the efficacy of PHE in detecting serious risk factors and health conditions being questioned. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the benefits of PHE in professional football with a focus on the musculoskeletal screening.

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Paper II: Muscle strength is a poor screening test for predicting lower extremity injuries in professional male soccer: A 2-year prospective cohort study. Am J Sports Med, Accepted 28 November 2017

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