Original Research Examination of Injury in Female Gaelic Football

International Journal of Exercise Science 6(2) : 98-105, 2013. To examine the relationship between body mass index and injury as well as examine injury according to playing position. In addition we sought to describe injury as it pertains to female Gaelic football. Data was collected using an online questionnaire. Archived data was also collected from a ladies Gaelic football team located in Washington, USA. Respondents included 74 recreationally trained female Gaelic footballers aged 15 – 45 years and a playing experience of 1 – 24 years. Respondents were asked to recall injuries that resulted from participation in Gaelic football. A Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to describe the relationship between BMI and injury. Analysis of variance was performed to examine injury according to playing position. There was no significant correlation between BMI and injury and no significant difference was seen for injury among the different playing positions. There was no significant difference in BMI between injured and non-injured players. A total of 98 injuries were recorded among the 52 injured players with an incidence rate of 1.88 injuries per injured player. Lower limb injuries accounted for 46.9 % of injuries, while the upper limb accounted for 38.8%. The most frequent injury location were the fingers (22.5%) followed by the ankle and foot (19.4%). Despite the limitations associated with retrospective studies, this study provides valuable information regarding injury in female Gaelic footballers. As Gaelic football is new to North America, these results may help coaches and trainers identify problematic injuries and develop appropriate training programs to reduce both incidence and severity