We have found that only 2.5% of the total injuries investigated
were associated with a pre-existing injury, a volume
of recurrent injuries much lower than previously found in
elite and professional players.20,21 While a return to play is
a main issue in elite soccer, amateur players experience
less pressure to return to play, which can improve the
quality of their treatment. On the other hand, elite players
are typically treated on a daily basis with the newest recovery
therapies, while the amateur soccer population is treated
with less innovative techniques and typically with less
frequency. In this respect, 47% of the total injuries
reported in amateur players required more than 3 weeks
of rehabilitation, while only 8% to 23% of injuries reported
at the professional level required treatment for longer than
4 weeks.9,21 Furthermore, 57% to 64% of all the injuries
suffered by professional players needed fewer than 7
days of rehabilitation,9 while the injuries with this severity
represented only 19.2% in the amateur population. While
the occurrence of previous injuries is a major risk factor
in the professional player,23 this factor is less relevant in
amateur players. In contrast, the severity of injuries in
amateur soccer players is greater than in professional
players.