ABSTRACT
The ultimate goal of sports medicine is the prevention of injury. Preventive medicine is best approached by an analysis of the epidemiology of disease or injury (Nicholas and Hershman, 1990). In the case of sports injuries, the agent (immediate causative factor), the host (the athlete sustaining the injury) and the environment (conditions which may predispose or prevent the injury) need to be analyzed (Nicholas and Hershman, 1990). The incidence of soccer injuries has been investigated in several studies (Peterson et al., 2000). The results differ because of differences in population characteristics, injury definition, and research design. There are also great differences among the various age groups and levels of skill. Inklaar (1994) stated that senior players sustain more injuries than young players. Sixteen to 18-year-old players seem to have an incidence similar to that of senior players (Nielsen and Yde, 1989). Also Tucker (1997) reported that the risk of injury increases with the age of the participants. One survey reported a 7.7% injury rate for high school players and 8.7% for players 19 and under in a community league (McCaroll et al., 1984). Maehlum and Daljord (1984) found that injuries peaked in the 20 to 24 year old age group, then declined with increasing age.
