Poruthotage Milan Nilendra Perera
Accepted Abstracts: Orthop Muscul Syst
Background: Teenagers in Negombo, Sri Lanka play football on their school ground, on the beach, narrow roads or sub- standard settings such as indoor locations and gardens. They spend most of their time playing rather than training. So there are many chances to sustain injuries. Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out and data was gathered from 256 from 6 leading schools in Negombo, Western province, Sri Lanka. Data was gathered by way of an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: Out of 256 footballers 88 (34%) were affected with ankle sprain in the last six months. Among them 73 (82.95%) didn?t do stretching properly. 17-18 age group had the highest injury rate (52.23%) and the lowest injury rate (26.44%) was among 13- 14 age group. Most players were injured during actual matches (61%) opposed to practice sessions. 40 (45.45%) were sustained while running or attempting to run, and all of those sprained their front foot. While ?only playing in a ground? recorded the lowest injury rate (29.94%). The higher rates were seen while ?playing in ground + on beach? (51.72%) and ?playing in ground + on narrow roads? (66.66%). Injury rates among those wearing soccer boots and sports shoes, 34% and 14.28% respectively. Among those wearing soccer boots, plastic screw nut soles were associated with the highest injury rate (85.71%). Normal flat sole, rubber normal studs, plastic normal studs and plastic normal blades showed low injury rates of around 30%. Among older boys, the awareness on stretching was less. Those who didn?t have knowledge of the influence of stretching, inappropriate surfaces and proper footwear on injuries had more ankle sprains. 51(58%) players had re-current injuries. This rate was 60% among (17-18) age group. Conclusion: It was clearly shown that factors such as age, lack of stretching, previous injury, bad playing technique, Improper playing location, unsuitable footwear, unsuitable soles of footwear, and lack of awareness and knowledge increased ankle sprains among teenage football players.
Poruthotage Milan Nilendra Perera graduated as a Physiotherapist from International Institute of Health Sciences, Sri Lanka. At the moment he is following an Ayurvedic Therapy (Massage) course at Ayurveda International Medical services and Training Institute (IMSIT) which is recognized by Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, Department of Ayurveda.
