Objectives

Women are under-represented in the sports literature despite increasing rates of sports participation. Our objective was to investigate the risks and benefits of an elite women’s soccer career in five health domains: general, musculoskeletal, reproductive endocrinology, post-concussion, and mental.

Methods

An online survey was distributed to retired US college, semi-professional, professional, and national team soccer players using personal networks, email, and social media. Short validated questionnaires were used to evaluate the health domains, including the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).

Results

A total of 560 eligible players responded to the survey over a 1-year period. The highest competitive levels were 73% college, 16% semi-professional, 8% professional, and 4% national team. The mean number of years since retirement was 12 (SD = 9), and 17.0% retired for involuntary reasons. The mean SANE scores (0–100 scale as percentage of normal) were knee = 75% (SD = 23), hip = 83% (SD = 23), and shoulder = 87% (SD = 21). The majority (63%) reported that their current activity level included participation in impact sports. A substantial proportion of players reported menstrual irregularities during their careers: 40% had fewer periods with increasing exercise and 22% had no periods for ≥ 3 months. The players (n = 44) who felt that post-concussion symptoms were due to soccer reported more time-loss concussions (F[2] = 6.80, p = 0.002) and symptom severity (F[2] = 30.26, p < 0.0001). Players who recently retired (0–5 years) reported the highest anxiety/depression scores and lowest satisfaction rates compared with those who retired 19+ years ago.

Conclusion

Health concerns include musculoskeletal injuries, post-concussion symptoms, and lower mental health in the early years following retirement. This comprehensive survey provides initial results that will lay the foundation for further analyses and prioritize research studies that can help all female athletes.

中文翻译：

---

女子足球健康研究：从头到脚

目标

尽管体育参与率不断上升，但女性在体育文献中的代表性不足。我们的目标是调查精英女子足球生涯在五个健康领域的风险和益处：一般、肌肉骨骼、生殖内分泌、脑震荡后和精神。

方法

通过个人网络、电子邮件和社交媒体向退役的美国大学、半职业、职业和国家队足球运动员进行了一项在线调查。使用经过验证的简短问卷来评估健康领域，包括患者报告结果测量信息系统（PROMIS）、单一评估数值评估（SANE）、脑震荡后症状量表（PCSS）和患者健康问卷（PHQ）。

结果

一年内共有 560 名符合条件的玩家回应了这项调查。竞技水平最高的是73%是大学球员，16%是半职业球员，8%是职业球员，4%是国家队球员。退休后的平均年数为 12 年（SD = 9），17.0% 的人因非自愿原因退休。平均 SANE 评分（0-100 为正常百分比）为膝关节 = 75% (SD = 23)，髋关节 = 83% (SD = 23)，肩关节 = 87% (SD = 21)。大多数人 (63%) 表示他们目前的活动水平包括参加影响力运动。相当大比例的球员在职业生涯中报告过月经不规律：40% 的人随着运动量的增加而月经减少，22% 的人超过 3 个月没有月经。 认为脑震荡后症状是由足球引起的球员 ( n = 44) 报告了更多的时间损失脑震荡 (F[2] = 6.80, p  = 0.002) 和症状严重程度 (F[2] = 30.26, p  < 0.0001 ）。与 19 年前退役的球员相比，最近退役（0-5 年）的球员的焦虑/抑郁得分最高，满意度最低。

结论

健康问题包括肌肉骨骼损伤、脑震荡后症状以及退休后最初几年心理健康状况不佳。这项综合调查提供了初步结果，将为进一步分析奠定基础，并优先考虑可以帮助所有女运动员的研究。