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Periodic Health Examination and Injury Prediction in Professional Football (Soccer): Theoretically, the Prognosis is Good.

Van Der Windt

Periodic Health Examination and Injury Prediction in Professional Football (Soccer): Theoretically, the Prognosis is Good. Thumbnail


Authors



Abstract

In professional soccer and other elite sports, medical and performance screening of athletes (also termed periodic health examination or PHE) is common practice. The purposes of this are: (1) to assist in identifying prevalent conditions that may be a threat to safe participation, (2) to assist in setting benchmark targets for rehabilitation or performance purposes and (3) to assist clinicians in determining which athletes may be at risk of future injury and selecting appropriate injury prevention strategies to reduce the perceived risk. However, when using PHE as an injury prevention tool, are clinicians seeking to identify potential causes of injury or to predict future injury? This Current Opinion aims to examine the conceptual differences between aetiology and prediction of injury while relating these areas to the capabilities of PHE in practice. We also introduce the concept of prognosis-a broader approach that is closely related to prediction-and why this may have greater applicability to PHE of professional athletes.

Acceptance Date Apr 27, 2018
Publication Date Nov 1, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Sports Medicine
Print ISSN 0112-1642
Publisher Springer Verlag
Pages 2443-2448
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0928-y
Publisher URL https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-018-0928-y