Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32185630›Full record

SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2020

Exercise-Based Strategies to Prevent Muscle Injury in Elite Footballers: A Systematic Review and Best Evidence Synthesis.

Maurizio Fanchini, Ida Bo Steendahl, Franco M Impellizzeri, Ricard Pruna, Gregory Dupont, Aaron J Coutts, Tim Meyer, Alan McCall

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Trial
  7. Return to performance criteria in soccer after musculoskeletal injury: A scoping review.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Traumatic muscle injury.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2023
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 7 institutions in 6 countries.

Maurizio FanchiniPerformance Department, AS Roma Football Club, Piazzale Dino Viola, 1, 00128, Rome, RM, Italy. maurizio.fanchini@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7398-5443
Ida Bo SteendahlInstitute of Sport and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0762-7263
Franco M ImpellizzeriFaculty of Health, Sport and Exercise Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1703-2573
Ricard PrunaMedical Services Ciutat Esportiva Barcelona, FC Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5823-4326
Gregory DupontFederation de Football Francaise, Paris, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8057-882X
Aaron J CouttsFaculty of Health, Sport and Exercise Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1782-7691
Tim MeyerInstitute of Sport and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3425-4546
Alan McCallMedical Services Ciutat Esportiva Barcelona, FC Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3780-8153
University of Technology Sydney · AUDeutsche Nationalbibliothek · DEEdinburgh Napier University · GBFC Barcelona · ESFédération française de cardiologie · FRSaarland University · DEUniversity of Verona · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExercise-based strategies are used to prevent muscle injuries in football and studies on different competitive-level populations may provide different results.

objectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of exercise-based muscle injury prevention strategies in adult elite football.

methodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscuss (EBSCO). We considered only elite adult (> 16 year-old) football players with no distinction for gender; the intervention to be any exercise/s performed with the target to prevent lower-limb muscle injuries; the comparison to be no injury prevention exercise undertaken; the outcome to be the number of injuries, injury incidence, and severity. We searched systematic reviews, randomized-controlled trials (RCTs), and non-randomized-controlled trials (NRCTs), limited for English language. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews tool, the Cochrane Collaboration's Tool for assessing risk of bias in RCTs, and the Risk of Bias in NRCTs of Interventions tool.

results15 studies were included. Three systematic reviews showed inconsistent results, with one supporting (high risk of bias) and two showing insufficient evidence (low risk of bias) to support exercise-based strategies to prevent muscle injuries in elite players. Five RCTs and seven NRCTs support eccentric exercise, proprioception exercises, and a multi-dimensional component to an injury prevention program; however, all were deemed to be at high/critical risk of bias. Only one RCT was found at low risk of bias and supported eccentric exercise for preventing groin problems.

conclusionWe found limited scientific evidence to support exercise-based strategies to prevent muscle injury in elite footballers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42017077705.

Indexed as

Athletic InjuriesHumansMuscle, SkeletalNon-Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicPhysical Conditioning, HumanRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSoccer

Identifiers

PMID32185630
OpenAlexW3011658787

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.