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Girls' Injury Prevention Study
During the past 5 years, SYSA has been an integral part of a girls’ soccer injury study through the University of Washington and Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center. Their interest in girls’ injuries stems from the fact that girls have been shown to have consistently higher rates of injuries than boys. With the formation of Seattle United, we are excited to continue to support this collaboration that began with SYSA.
The current 5-year study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Melissa Schiff is the Principal Investigator. The study has been successful at gathering data on player muscle strength and has developed a system to track playing time and injuries over the season. Girls and their families have been extremely willing to join the study, and coaches and managers have supported the efforts of the study every step of the way.
The information they are gathering now will be used to develop a plan to prevent soccer injuries in girls. Dr. Schiff will be looking at risk factors for injuries, as well as incidence rates for injuries based on exposure time (how much time girls are at risk for getting injured).
Each year the study follows 8 teams with approximately 100 girls in total. Six new girls U13, U14, and U15 teams will be randomly selected to participate this year. Dr. Schiff and her staff will be coming to team meetings or practices soon to sign up interested families. It has been a positive experience for those who have participated, and we hope you will support their efforts!
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