[Injuries and drug use among soccer players]

Injuries in sports are well-known through retrospective studies of different kinds of sports, especially soccer. In this study on injury and drug use, the adverse effects of drugs and the use of medical services were registered in a group of male elite soccer players and in a referent group. There was a higher percentage of injuries and a higher use of drugs in the soccer group compared with the referent group, the largest difference being in the use of antiflogistics. Both groups reported low adverse effects of drugs, and similar frequency of such effects. Doctors and physiotherapists were usually consulted, but more frequently by the soccer group than by the referent group. The results of this study indicate that playing top division soccer is associated with higher risk of injury with a concomitant higher use of drugs than experienced in the referent group.