Time to get our four priorities right: an 8-year prospective investigation of 1326 player-seasons to identify the frequency, nature, and burden of time-loss injuries in elite Gaelic football

Abstract

Managing injury risk requires an understanding of how and when athletes sustain certain injuries. Such information guides organisations in establishing evidence-based priorities and expectations for managing injury risk. In order to minimise the impact of sports injuries, attention should be directed towards injuries that occur frequently, induce substantial time-loss, and elevate future risk. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the rate at which elite Gaelic football players sustain different time-loss injuries during match-play and training activities. Datasets (n = 38) from elite Gaelic football teams (n = 17) were received by the National Gaelic Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Database from 2008 to 2016. A total of 1,614 time-loss injuries were analysed. Each season teams sustained 24.0 (interquartile ranges) (IQR 16.0–32.0) and 15.0 (IQR 10.0–19.0) match-play and training injuries, respectively. When exposure was standardised to 1,000 h, greater rates of injury (12.9, 95% CI [11.7–14.3]) and time-loss days (13.4, 95% CI [12.3–14.9]) were sustained in match-play than in training. Acute injury rates were 3.1-times (95% CI [2.7–3.4]) greater than chronic/overuse injuries. Similarly, non-contact injury rates were 2.8-times (95% CI [2.5–3.2]) greater than contact injuries. A total of 71% of injuries in elite Gaelic football affected five lower limb sites. Four lower limb-related clinical entities accounted for 40% of all time-loss injuries (hamstring, 23%; ankle sprain, 7%; adductor-related, 6%; quadriceps strain, 5%). Thus, most risk management and rehabilitation strategies need to be centred around five lower limb sites—and just four clinical entities. Beyond these, it may be highly unlikely that reductions in injury susceptibility can be attributed to specific team interventions. Thus, compliance with national databases is necessary to monitor injury-related metrics and future endeavours to minimise injury risk.