RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Health conditions among retired professional footballers: a scoping review
JF BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
JO BMJ OPEN SP EX MED
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e001196
DO 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001196
VO 8
IS 2
A1 Sean Carmody
A1 Karlijn Anemaat
A1 Andrew Massey
A1 Gino Kerkhoffs
A1 Vincent Gouttebarge
YR 2022
UL http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001196.abstract
AB Objective To conduct a scoping review providing an overview of the health conditions occuring in retired male and female professional footballers, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal, mental, neurocognitive, cardiovascular and reproductive health conditions.Methods In January 2022, a comprehensive systematic literature search in three databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, SPORTDiscus via EBSCOhost and EMBASE) was conducted for common health conditions among retired male and female professional footballers. Primary research studies (full text available online) which described the incidence or prevalence of a health condition (musculoskeletal, mental, neurocognitive, cardiovascular, reproductive) among retired male and female professional footballers were included for review. Case reports, qualitative research and grey literature were omitted.Results In total, 917 eligible articles were identified from the databases, with 41 meeting the eligibility criteria. Osteoarthritis of the hip, knee and ankle were found to be common among retired professional footballers. Mental health symptoms (eg, anxiety, depression) are experienced by retired male and female professional footballers. The incidence of neurocognitive disease appears to be higher among retired male professional footballers than among matched controls. There is very limited evidence examining the presence of health conditions in retired female professional footballers.Conclusion Osteoarthritis of the lower limb, musculoskeletal pain and mental health symptoms are common among retired professional footballers. Knowledge about the occurrence and timing of musculoskeletal, mental health and neurocognitive conditions among retired professional footballers can be used by a wide range of stakeholders to proactively intervene during and after a player’s career to mitigate risk.