No Association Between Return to Play After Injury and Increased Rate of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Men’s Professional Soccer

Matilda Lundblad, Markus Waldén, Martin Hägglund, Jan Ekstrand, Christoffer Thomeé, Jón Karlsson

Studies have shown that previous injury, not necessarily anatomically related, is an important injury risk factor. However, it is not known whether a player runs an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury after returning to play from other injury types. To analyze whether professional soccer players are more susceptible to ACL injury after returning to play from any previous injury. Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. A total of 101 elite male soccer players suffering a first-time complete ACL injury between 2001 and 2014 were included and matched according to team, age, and playing position with control players who did not have a current injury (1:1 match). For each injured player, the 90-day period prior to the ACL injury was analyzed for injuries and compared with that of control players by using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. The odds of a player with an ACL injury sustaining a previous injury in the 90-day period did not differ significantly from that of controls (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.66-2.17; P = .65). Testing the frequency of absence periods due to injury between the groups revealed that the odds of a player with an ACL injury having a previous period of absence due to injury did not differ compared with controls (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.64-2.01; P = .77). Players with ACL injury did not have a greater occurrence of absence due to injury in the 3 months preceding their ACL injury compared with matched controls. This indicates that previous injury of any type does not increase the risk of suffering an ACL injury.