Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Professional Football Players in Kuwait: A Protocol for a Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Football is by far the most played sport around the globe, but it comes with a high risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries that are reported to differ greatly between professional leagues from different countries. In Kuwait, there is no available injury profile data for professional football players. Objectives: The primary aim of the proposed study is to quantify information about MSK injuries (i.e., rate, type, and severity of injury) among professional football players in Kuwait. A secondary aim is to investigate the associated injury risk factors. Methods and Results: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional, with data collected from 300 professional male football players across 15 national clubs in Kuwait. A self-administered retrospective survey is completed by the football players at a single time point. The survey aims to quantify information about MSK injuries that occurred in the past three football seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024). The survey also collects information about player sociodemographic and training data. Descriptive data are presented using means ± standard deviations (SD) and absolute or relative frequencies, as appropriate. A chi-square test is used to investigate the associated injury risk factors. Conclusions: Findings from this cross-sectional study will provide a novel country-specific injury profile among professional football players in Kuwait, which will aid in designing effective training and injury prevention programs.