ArticleSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2023
The Women's Soccer Health Study: From Head to Toe.
Article in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT06473883 (Effects of Vestibulo-oculomotor and Neuromuscular Training on the Incidence of Concussions and Musculoskeletal Injuries in Competitive Female Football Players), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Effects of Vestibulo-oculomotor and Neuromuscular Training on the Incidence of Concussions and Musculoskeletal Injuries in Competitive Female Football Players
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Menstrual Cycle Characteristics and Injury History in Adult Amateur Female Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Selected LEAF-Q Items.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The Association Between Persisting Symptoms after Concussion (PSaC) and Symptoms of Depression and/or Anxiety in the Athletic Population: A Scoping Review.South African journal of sports medicine · 2026Article
- Comparison of factors associated with the occurrence of menstruation-related symptoms in Japanese women without exercise habits and female soccer players: a cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Gynaecological Health Patterns and Motherhood Experiences of Female Professional Football Players.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Self-reported reproductive health of retired elite women's footballers: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWomen are under-represented in the sports literature despite increasing rates of sports participation. Our objective was to investigate the risks and benefits of an elite women's soccer career in five health domains: general, musculoskeletal, reproductive endocrinology, post-concussion, and mental.
methodsAn online survey was distributed to retired US college, semi-professional, professional, and national team soccer players using personal networks, email, and social media. Short validated questionnaires were used to evaluate the health domains, including the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).
resultsA total of 560 eligible players responded to the survey over a 1-year period. The highest competitive levels were 73% college, 16% semi-professional, 8% professional, and 4% national team. The mean number of years since retirement was 12 (SD = 9), and 17.0% retired for involuntary reasons. The mean SANE scores (0-100 scale as percentage of normal) were knee = 75% (SD = 23), hip = 83% (SD = 23), and shoulder = 87% (SD = 21). The majority (63%) reported that their current activity level included participation in impact sports. A substantial proportion of players reported menstrual irregularities during their careers: 40% had fewer periods with increasing exercise and 22% had no periods for ≥ 3 months. The players (n = 44) who felt that post-concussion symptoms were due to soccer reported more time-loss concussions (F[2] = 6.80, p = 0.002) and symptom severity (F[2] = 30.26, p < 0.0001). Players who recently retired (0-5 years) reported the highest anxiety/depression scores and lowest satisfaction rates compared with those who retired 19+ years ago.
conclusionHealth concerns include musculoskeletal injuries, post-concussion symptoms, and lower mental health in the early years following retirement. This comprehensive survey provides initial results that will lay the foundation for further analyses and prioritize research studies that can help all female athletes.
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