INVESTIGATING COMMON INJURIES OF LOWER BODY EXTREMITIES AND THEIR CAUSES AMONG SOCCER PLAYERS AT KAENDA FOOTBALL CLUB IN SIBBINDA CONSTITUENCY, ZAMBEZI REGION

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate common injuries of lower body extremities and their causes among soccer players at Kaenda Football Club (KFC) in Sibbinda constituency, Zambezi Region. Using personal information questionnaire, data were collected from 100 male soccer players and analysed using descriptive statistics on SPSS v21 statistical software programme. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling method based on their involvement and participation in competition and training sessions for the club. The results of the study revealed that knee injury (56%) ranked the highest common injuries of lower body extremities among the soccer players at KFC, followed by ankle injury (35%), upper leg injury (7%), while hip injury (6%) and groin injury (6%) were ranked as the least frequently experienced injuries of lower body extremities among the soccer players. A total of 8 different causes of the common injuries of lower body extremities were identified in the study area. The sequence of the causes of common injuries of lower body extremities among soccer players at the KFC showed that being tackled > tackling > running > jumping > turning > twisting > landing = shooting. Majority of the soccer players at KFC were found to be playing with chronic injuries while few of them were playing with acute injuries. Thus, effective preventative measures and awareness programs are urgently needed to reduce the incidence of injuries among the soccer palyers at KFC