Background & Objectives: Rate of injuries is noticeable in professional soccer.
There are many factors that cause injuries, one of the most important of which is
physical fitness. The aim of this study was to determine the association of strength,
flexibility, and aerobic power with injuries in soccer players.
Materials & Methods: Sixty-four professional, healthy players (age=23.8±3.9
years, height=178.04±4.55 cm, weight=74.61±4.98 kg) were recruited in this
study. At the beginning, age, height, and weight were recorded, then thigh muscle
strength was assessed using Nicholas Manual dynamometer (MMT). Flexibility
was estimated by sit and reach test and aerobic power was evaluated by Bruce
treadmill test. Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi-square test were used in
SPSS 16 to analyze the data. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.05.
Results: Our findings indicated that strength of extensor muscles had a significant
negative correlation with injuries (r=-0.44, P=0.04).
In addition, there was a significant relationship between flexibility and injuries
(r=- 0.81, P=0.02) and between aerobic power and injuries (r=-0.82, P=0.03).
Conclusion: It seems that coaches and therapists must pay more attention to
injury-prevention programs and pre-participation physical fitness to reduce
incidence of injuries among players.
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