Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42266208›Full record

ReviewThe South African journal of physiotherapy2026

Preventative strategies for non-contact lower limb injuries among male football players: A scoping review.

Siyabonga H Kunene, Molebogeng B Mmitsi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in The South African journal of physiotherapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

2 authors.

Siyabonga H KuneneDepartment of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4880-2120
Molebogeng B MmitsiDepartment of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0169-7725

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Football is a complex team sport with high physical, tactical and technical demands, exposing players to a high risk of both contact and non-contact injuries. Objectives: To map the range of preventative strategies used to reduce non-contact lower limb injuries among male footballers. Method: Our study was conducted as a scoping review. The review was guided in five stages: (1) defining the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) selecting the topic; (4) charting and collecting data; and (5) summarising and reporting the results. The research was guided by the population, concept, context framework, focusing on professional and amateur male soccer players across various age groups. It examined a range of preventative strategies targeting non-contact lower limb injuries, recognising their critical role in reducing player exclusion because of injury. The literature search was conducted across eight electronic databases: PUBMED, CINAHL, PEDro, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, SPORTDiscus, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Results: Twenty-five (out of 617) studies met the inclusion criteria, and their outcomes have been presented. Outcomes revealed various injury inhibition programmes implemented for non-contact lower limb injuries among male footballers, which were: Nordic hamstring exercises, Copenhagen adduction exercise, muscle strengthening, stretching exercises, ankle taping, FIFA 11, FIFA 11+ warm-up programme, preseason preparation, running mechanics, high chronic training loads, bounding exercises and a multicomponent exercise programme. Conclusion: The study identified a range of preventative strategies commonly employed to reduce the risk of non-contact lower limb injuries among male football players. Clinical implications: Considering the varying dynamics across teams and competitive levels, these strategies can serve as a valuable framework for developing injury prevention programmes.

Indexed as

exercise-based interventionsinjury prevention strategiesmale football playersnon-contact lower limb injuriesscoping review

Identifiers

PMID42266208
PMCPMC13243745

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.