The last edition of the Conference was held inLondonwith two days at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC) and one at the Wembley Stadium.
The Conference 2014 was instead organised in Milan, in the MiCo – Milano Congressi Conference Centre with the title Football Medicine Strategies for Joint and Ligament Injuries. The Conference was organised in three days, in which the topics relating to prevention, surgery, rehabilitation and return to play of the footballer were discussed.
Injuries to joints and ligaments can occur during sporting activity, with a significant incidence in football.
The Conference programme was designed to supply a complete vision of the recovery process for the injured player: from the start through to the end. The attention of the Football Medicine Community is especially focussed on the final part of the process, when recovery is complete.
The Second Science of Football Summit of the Monday, entitled Preventing Injuries in Football: 1994-2014, 20 years of research constituted the third and last day of this yearly meeting and was designed for the specialists of injury prevention (I particular team coaches, athletic trainers, sports scientists, physiotherapists and students), who are daily dealing with training fields and playing footballers. In this occasion the most important initiatives enacted and coordinated by the FIFA – Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC, which in 2014 celebrates 20 years of research) on the topic of prevention were discussed.
Once again the audience could attend the debate between different professionals of the field, such as sports physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, physiatrists, radiologists, physiotherapists, team managers and athletic trainers.
The Landscape
Chairs: D’Hooghe, Michel (BEL) – Della Villa, Stefano (ITA)
The 20 years of F-MARC: from 1994 to 2014 World Cup – Dvorak, Jiri (SUI)
Brazil – the impact of the World Cup – Runco, José (BRA)
Joint and ligament Injuries in the UEFA Champions League – Ekstrand, Jan (SWE)
ACL injury mechanisms in football: a video analysis – Walden, Marcus (SWE)
Controversial Conservative Approach
Chairs: English, Bryan (UK) – Muller-Wohlfahrt, Hans Wilhelm (GER)
Football team doctor’s perspective – how have we managed this problem – Serratosa, Luis (ESP)
The hyaluronan debate. Where are we now? – Marcheggiani Muccioli, Giulio Maria (ITA)
Omega 3 intake and joint remodelling – Babraj, John (UK)
PRP. The good side and downside to this treatment – Sas, Kristof (BEL)
Decrease the load with good strength and conditioning – Franklyn-Miller, Andrew (IRL)
Grassroots and recreational football: health considerations
Chairs: Danelon, Furio (ITA) – Davison, Mike (UK)
Epidemiology in grassroots football – Fuller, Colin (UK)
Long term consequences of knee injuries – Krutsch, Werner (GER)
Who is the recreational football player? – Boldrini, Lorenzo (ITA)
How to manage the health of recreational players – Khan, Karim (CAN/QAT)
Health effects of recreational football – Krustrup, Peter (DEN)
Rehabilitation exercises for dynamic joint stabilisation
Chairs: Batty, Phil (UK) – Combi, Franco (ITA)
The role of the muscles as active stabilisers of the joints – Hutson, Mike (UK)
Open and closed chain in the knee rehabilitation – Zanobbi, Marco (UK)
Shoulder dynamic stabilisation exercises – Salsi, Alessandro (ITA)
Isokinetic evaluation and strengthening programmes – Olmo Navas, Jesús (ESP)
Plyometric and jumping progression during the recovery process – Diesel, Wayne (UK)
Chondral and osteochondral defects: surgery and return to sport
Chairs: Erggelet, Christoph (SUI) – Kon, Elizaveta (ITA)
Conservative management of cartilage lesions in the athlete’s knee – Ueblacker, Peter (GER)
Cartilage lesions in football. Where are we now? – Espregueira-Mendes, João (POR)
Return to play strategies post knee surgery – Mithoefer, Kai (USA)
Biological joint reconstruction and football – Marcacci, Maurilio (ITA)
Rehabilitation principles for cartilage regeneration – Hambly, Karen (UK)
Imaging and clinical diagnosis in footballers’ joints
Chairs: Ferretti, Andrea (ITA) – Healy, Jerry (UK)
Ultrasonography: the stethoscope of the future sports physician? – Zunarelli, Pierpaolo (ITA)
MRI in orthopaedics and sports medicine daily practice – Kerkhoffs, Gino (NED)
MRI studies in footballers’ joint kinetics – Welsh, Goetz (GER)
MRI images of footballers’ hip, knee and ankle injuries – Balzarini, Luca (ITA)
MRI images of footballers’ spine shoulder and elbow injuries – Padron, Mario (ESP)
Neuromuscular Control
Chairs: Lewing, Gary (UK) – Zanobbi, Marco (ITA)
Neuromuscular exercises during knee rehabilitation – Snyder Mackler, Lynn (USA)
The concept of neuroplasticity applied to functional recovery – Rivaroli, Simone (ITA)
Functional rehabilitation in the pool – Ruig, Pierre (FRA)
ACL and neuromuscular control: a video analysis of injury mechanism – De Carli, Angelo (ITA)
The role of core stability in the recovery of the footballer – Goedhart, Edwin (NED)
Orthobiology and regenerative medicine
Chairs: Castellacci, Enrico (ITA) – Maffull,i Nicola (ITA)
The regenerative medicine landscape – Mandelbaum, Bert (USA)
Regenerative medicine in shoulder injuries – Randelli, Pietro (ITA)
The use of PRP and growth factors in footballers’ joints – Cugat, Ramon (ESP)
Stem cell treatment: past, present, future – Gobbi, Alberto (ITA)
Female football players
Chairs: Bianchedi, Diana (ITA) – Millson, Helen (UK)
Epidemiology of injury in female football players – Junge, Astrid (SUI)
Female footballers’ lesions – Silvers, Holly (USA)
ACL injuries in female football players – Servien, Elvire (FRA)
Prevention is better than cure – training prescription to protect youth female footballers – Lloyd, Rhodri (UK)
Return to sport strategies
Chairs: Schneider, Christian (GER) – Tavana, Rodolfo (ITA)
The difference between clinical rehabilitation and football reconditioning – Knowles, Bill (USA)
The “on pitch” football recovery programme after ACL surgery –Medina, Daniel (ESP)
Functional strategies to prevent recurrence risk after knee surgery – Melegati, Gianluca (ITA)
How to manage the fear of reinjury – Walker, Nathalie (UK)
Return to play criteria – Snyder-Mackler, Lynn (USA)
Knee surgery and functional recovery
Chairs: Benazzo, Francesco (ITA) – Coari, Giancarlo (ITA)
Crucial principles in the care of the knee – Rodkey ,William (USA)
Functional recovery after ligament reconstruction and menicus repair – Cohen, Moisés (BRA)
Treatment of complex ligament lesions with rotatory instability – Adravanti, Paolo (ITA)
Strategies in revision surgery – Delcogliano, Marco (ITA)
Criterion based rehab: the “traffic light” concept – Tsapralis, Kyriakos (ITA)
Shoulder injuries and football
Chairs: Axe, Michael (USA) – Minola, Riccardo (ITA)
Conservative management of sporting shoulder injuries – Ranson, Craig (UK)
The stabilisation surgery options in a football player – Kochhar, Tony (UK)
Post surgical and return to football protocols – Danelon, Furio (ITA)
Shoulder trauma in goalkeepers – Castagna, Alessandro (ITA)
Shoulder replacement in professional football: a case report – Porcellini, Giuseppe (ITA)
Prevention strategies
Chairs: Chalabi, Hachim (QAT) – Pedrinelli, André (BRA)
The F-MARC concept of prevention – Bizzini, Mario (SUI)
Ankle prevention programme for football – Malliaropoulos, Nikos (GRE)
Hip strategies to prevent knee injuries – Powers, Chris (USA)
Ankle sprains: prevention input from research in biomechanics – Gehring, Dominic (GER)
Medical markers in injury prevention – Schriebl, Wolfgang (AUT)
ACL surgery and return to football
Chairs: Angele, Peter (GER) – Zorzi, Claudio (ITA)
ACL surgery in sport. Where are we now? – Fu, Freddie (USA)
Optimise functional outcome: surgery and rehabilitation as one team – Arnaldi, Enrico (ITA)
Biologically enhanced ACL reconstruction in footballers – Sonnery-Cottet, Bertrand (FRA)
Predictors of medium-term outcome and return to sport after ACL injury – Haddad, Fares (UK)
Return to top level football after ACL reconstruction – Tencone, Fabrizio (ITA)
Ankle lesions of the footballer
Chairs: Clough, Tim (UK) – Brukner, Peter (AUS)
Return to football after ankle surgery – Kennedy, John (USA)
The footballer’s ankle – Geertsema, Liesel (QAT)
Ankle impingement: conservative treatment – Andersen, Thor Einar (NOR)
Ankle impingement: surgical options – Kerkhoffs, Gino (NED)
Ankle stabilisation surgeries – Ruffilli, Alberto (ITA)
The young football player
Chairs: Peterson, Lars (SWE) – Til I Perez, Lluis (ESP)
Exercise loads and prevention programme for young patients – Freschi, Marco (ITA)
Grow related joint injuries in young players – D’Hooghe, Pieter (QAT)
ACL in young population: data from the Scandinavian register – Forssblad, Magnus (SWE)
Management of osteochondritis dissecans – Modonesi, Fulvio (ITA)
Conservative and surgical management of the cartilage injury – Steinwachs, Matthias (SUI)
Patellofemoral joint and football
Chairs: Denti, Matteo (ITA) – Espregueira-Mendes João (POR)
Patella instability in football player – Neyret, Philippe (FRA)
The treatment of patellar pathology in adolescent football players – Seil, Romain (LUX)
To treat or not to treat chondral lesions of the PF joints? – Berruto, Massimo (ITA)
Treatment choice in first traumatic patella luxation or subluxation – Zaffagnini, Stefano (ITA)
Micro and macro rupture of extensor mechanism – Dejour, David (FRA)
Hip surgery and functional recovery
Chairs: Brukner, Peter (AUS) – Zini, Raul (ITA)
The hip in the footballer – Schilders, Ernest (UK)
Differential diagnosis of hip and groin pain – what is the indication for hip arthroscopy? – Holmich, Per (DEN)
The new hip era: how not to pass from underdiagnosis to overtreatment and role of conservative treatment – Randelli, Filippo (ITA)
Orthobiologics in hip arthroscopy – Bajwa, Ali (UK)
Factors influencing outcomes after hip arthroscopy – Kemp, Joanne (AUS)
Management of early and late osteoarthritis (OA)
Chairs: Batt, Mark (UK) – Volpi, Piero (ITA)
Conservative management of knee OA – Crossley, Kai (AUS)
Acute surgical decisions and long term future of the patients’ knees – Rosa, Donato (ITA)
Knee replacement and sport – Williams, Andy (UK)
Biological reconstruction of the knee – restorative or salvage? – McDermott, Ian (UK)
Rehabilitation following arthritis surgery – Roos, Ewa (DEN)
The spine of the football player
Chairs: Edwards, Tony (NZL) – Fahy, Damien (UK)
Diagnosis and management of aspecific low back pain in football – Beasley, Ian (UK)
Spinal injuries: experiences from the field – Eirale, Cristiano (QAT)
Surgical indications for football players – Mayer, Michael (GER)
Return to sport after spine surgery in top player: a case report – Tomaello, Luca (ITA)
Role of fascia in lower back pain – De Coninck, Kyra (UK)
The role of FIFA on injury prevention
Chairs: Brukner, Peter (AUS) – Della Villa, Stefano (ITA)
Overview of F-MARC projects and 11+ around the world – Dvorak, Jiri (SUI)
Prevention of contact and non contact injuries in football – Bizzini, Mario (SUI)
Prevention through promotion of 11+ inGermany– Eiles, Matthias (GER)
How to prevent injuries in football?
Chairs: Danelon, Furio (ITA) – Dvorak, Jiri (SUI)
Amateur football players – Bizzini, Mario (SUI)
Female football players – Silvers, Holly (USA)
Young football players – Faude, Oliver (SUI)
Professional football players – Kemp, Steve (UK)
The challenge of injury prevention in football (round table)
Chair: Monti, Andrea (ITA)
Participants: Batty, Phil (UK) – Berruto, Massimo (ITA) – Branchini, Giovanni (ITA) – Olmo Navas, Jesús (ESP), Tavana, Rodolfo (ITA) – Tencone, Fabrizio (ITA)
Practical aspects (with video)
Chairs: Bizzini, Mario (SUI) – Witvrouw, Erik (QAT)
Effects of injury prevention on performance – Bangsbo, Jens (DEN)
The role of stretching in injury prevention – Witvrouw, Erik (QAT)
Prevention in professional players – Sassi, Roberto (ITA)
Prevention in female players – Silvers, Holly (USA)
Prevention in young football players – Mathieu, Nicolas (SUI)
Prevention in referees – Castagna, Carlo (ITA)
Prevention of reinjuries during rehabilitation – Boldrini, Lorenzo (ITA)
Knee orthopaedics in football
Chairs: Madonna, Vincenzo (ITA) – Panics, Gergely (HUN)
Can ACL tear in soccer be predicted by a preseason knee laxity measurement? – Herman S, Cascua S, Bohu Y, Klouche S, Lefevre N (Paris and Puteaux, France)
ACL injuries in young football players – Tsoukas D, Charopoulos I, Vissarakis G (Athens,Greece)
Osteochondritis dissecans of the knee of football players repaired with bio absorbable implants – Kalliakmanis A, Nikolaou P, Zourntos S, Bousgas D, Danassi D (Athens,Greece)
Ultrasonographic evaluation of harvested patellar tendon in football players – Tzoanos G, Tsavalas N, Manidakis N, Chardaloumbas D, Kalliakmanis A (Crete and Athens, Greece)
Arthroscopic meniscal allograft transplantation in male professional soccer players – Marcacci M, Zaffagnini S, Marcheggiani Muccioli GM, Grassi A, Benzi A, Ricci M, Tsapralis K , Nanni G, Della Villa S (Bologna, Italy)
Dry arthroscopy for matrix-aided cartilage repair of patellofemoral lesions in soccer players – Sadlik B, Blasiak A, Warchal B, Kotajny P, Wiewiorski M (Bielsko-Biala,PolandandBasel,Switzerland)
Biomechanics and functional assessment
Chairs: Minetti, Alberto (ITA) – Rampinini, Ermanno (ITA)
Changes in neuromuscular function after football fatigue in female youth
Players – De Ste Croix M, Priestley A, Lloyd R, Oliver J (Gloucestershire and Cardiff, United Kingdom)
The effect of foot position on ankle biomechanics in cutting Welch NB, Marshall BM, Franklyn-Miller AD, Moran KA, Boland M, Broe R, Black C, Falvey EC (Dublin, Ireland and Melbourne, Australia)
Knee injury risk and muscle time domain parameters in soccer – Manara M, Harley S, Rozman S, Urbanc J, Đorđevic S (Parma,ItalyandLjubljana,Slovenia)
Isokinetic assessment of professional football players by age-groups – Grazzini G, Russo L, Martelli G
(Montecatini Terme andPoggibonsi,Italy)
Evaluation of joint kinematics in soccer players by wearable technology – Garofalo P, Marini M, Barbieri L, Mantovani M (Carpi, Italy)
Short-term effects of biceps femoris activation exercises on knee stability of female soccer players – Harley S, Rozman S, Urbanc J, Gerbec Čuček M, Đorđevic S (Ljubljana,Slovenia)
Movement restrictions are associated with poor movement control in footballers – Mottram S, Barr A, Comerford M (Chichester,United KingdomandNew York,USA)
Evaluation of the effect of three different playing surfaces on knee loads – Rouch P, Drevelle X, Thoreux P (Paris,France)
The biomechanical determinants of a cutting manoeuvre – Marshall B, Franklyn-Miller A, Moran K, Strike S, King E, Breen D, Shoenfeld J, Falvey EC (Dublin, Ireland and Melbourne, Australia)
Evaluation of dynamic postural control in female soccer players – Grygorowicz M, Piontek T, Dudzinski W (Pila andPoznan,Poland)
Movement efficiency and physiological performance in Gaelic games players – King E, Walsh M, Kennedy M, Byrne D, Kelly D (Dublin,Ireland;Bath,United Kingdom)
Case Reports (Knee)
Chairs: Chomiak, Jiri (SUI) – Nanni, Gianni (ITA)
Five-years follow-up of a meniscal repair in a goalkeeper – Sosio C, Domenicucci M , Melato M, Agnoletto M, Peretti GM (Milan,Italy)
A case of medial knee dislocation: surgical and post-operative treatment – Saccia F, Torri G, Vaudetti M, Falco M (Casale Monferrato and Torino, Italy)
Use of Laser and reflexology in the rehabilitation of a football player after a knee contusion – Tohaneanu AAA, Dragomir M, Tohaneanu LL (Craiova,Romania)
Delayed cartilage defect 7 years after contusion of the lateral femoral condyle – Papasoulis E, Papakostas E, Sideridis A, Terzidis I (Thessaloniki,Greece)
Mental coaching in a path to recovery after ACL reconstruction in a football player – Cassardo M (Milan,Italy)
Orthopaedics in football
Chairs: Boniforti, Filippo (ITA) – Tzouroudis, Nikos (UAE)
Time to return to sports after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement in professional and non-professional soccer players – Dimitrakopoulou A, Schilders E, Kartsonaki Ch, Cooke C (London&Leeds,United Kingdom)
Return to sport after arthroscopic augmentation with subscapularis tendon in anterior shoulder instability
Maiotti M, Massoni C, Bondi R, Acquaviva R, Bianchedi D (Rome, Italy)
Arthroscopic suture-anchor Bankart repair of recurrent anterior shoulder dislocations in young football players – Triantafillou Ch, Kapsampelis A (Athens,Greece)
A new treatment of the lesion of anterior talo-fibular ligament: preliminary report – Siclari A, Vigna M, Piras M, Boux E (Biella,Italy)
Osteoarthritis in former professional football players – Gouttebarge V, Inklaar H, Frings-Dresen MHW (Amsterdam, Hoofddorp and Bilthoven, TheNetherlands)
Functional recovery
Chairs: Grimm, Katharina (QAT) – Respizzi, Stefano (ITA)
Post ACL reconstruction plyometric drills – Mar Chong D (Honolulu,USA)
Implementation of a neuromuscular training programme in adolescent football – Hägglund M, Lindblom H, Carlfjord S, Waldén M (Linköping,Sweden)
Neuromuscular training and knee ligament injuries in female adolescent football – Hägglund M, Atroshi I, Wagner P, Waldén M (Linköping, Lund and Hässleholm, Sweden)
Predictors of functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction in football players – Della Villa F (Bologna,Italy)
Return to soccer following ACL reconstruction – Papakostas E, Papasoulis E, Epaminontidis K, Terzidis I, Sideridis A (ThessalonikiGreeceandDoha,Qatar)
Lower extremity isokinetic muscle strength and joint kinetics during landing tasks -Undheim M, Gore S, Franklyn-Miller A, King E, Boland M, Carolan D, Murphy A, Falvey EC (Dublin Ireland and Melbourne, Australia)
Persisted knee pain? Look at the spine. A new treatment approach – Kakavas G (Athens,Greece)
Effect of Kinesio Taping on static and dynamic balance during soccer Haksever B, Baltaci G (Ankara,Turkey)
Severe time-loss injuries and surgeries in relation to mental health in professional football -Gouttebarge V, Frings-Dresen MHW, Sluiter JK (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Epidemiology and prevention
Chairs: Fazzini, Davide (ITA) – Turmo, Antonio (ESP)
Injuries in youth players of the football clubs’s academies of Dubai – Ghrairi M, Hindawi O, Sallawi R, Zerguini Y (Dubai, UAE and Algiers, Algeria)
The epidemiology of foot & ankle injuries in premier league footballers – Clough T, Greensill A, Batty P (Lancashire andLondon,United Kingdom)
Severe injuries in young football players aged 7 to 12 – Rössler R, Junge A, Chomiak J, Faude O (Basel and Zürich,Switzerland; Hamburg, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic)
Knee and ankle joint injuries from 2007 to2013 inAustralian A-League professional football – Gouttebarge V, Hughes Schwab B, Vivian A (Hoofddorp, TheNetherlandsandVictoria,Australia)
Soccer club sponsored knee screening as a window on young football player health – Sala R, Pasi S, Fusetti D, Azzini V, Tosi F, Gervasi F, Marchetti I, Castagnetti L, Respizzi S, Lucini S (Milan,Italy)
Orthopaedics in football
Chairs: Boniforti, Filippo (ITA) – Tzouroudis, Nikos (UAE)
Safety and usefulness of platelet-rich plasma treatment in football injuries – Lupón Escobar G, García Beltrán M, Til Pérez L, Pruna Grive R, Serrano Reyes A, Rivero González L (Barcelona, Terrassa and Fuertaventura, Spain; Santiago, Chile)
Evaluation of outcome after ankle fractures in amateur soccer players – Ambron A (Bari,Italy)
Upper limbs joint injuries in goalkeepers: an epidemiological survey in juvenile football – Danelon F, Righini G (Milan,Italy)
Joint injuries and site distribution among Greek amateur soccer players – Mazis N, Dragatsi G, Stathopoulos N, Michailidis M, Sembolini N (Athens,Greece)
Knee rotation stability after sb anatomic acl reconstruction in semiprofessional football players – Bruno A, Pratico S, Zornetta A, Arnaldi E (Milan,Italy)
Prevalence of bilateral symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement in soccer – Dimitrakopoulou A, Schilders E, Kartsonaki Ch, Cooke C (Leeds, United Kingdom)
The important role of arthroscopy for hip injuries of football players – Tsikouris G, Intzirtzis P, Zampiakis E, Tsikouris E, Kourougenis P, Plessas SK (Athens, Greece)
Functional Recovery
Chairs: Praticò, Santo (ITA) – Stride, Matthew (UK)
Functional ability and return to activity identify limb asymmetry following ACLR – Arundale A, Snyder-Mackler L (Newark,USA)
Functional progression and return to activity after ACLR in soccer and nonsoccer athletes – Arundale A, White K, Snyder-Mackler L (Newark,USA)
Effect of compliance on rehabilitation after knee ligament reconstruction – Danelon F, Gatti M, Vago P, Colombo L, Boldrini L, Comi S (Milan, Italy)
Eccentric power and return to play after ACL reconstruction – Zuppardo S, Ferrari E,MerloF (GrossetoandSiena,Italy)
Low speed resistance training in young football players with anterior knee pain – Bardelli M, Cavaggioni L, Alberti G (Milan,Italy)
Injury prevention
Chairs: Millson, Helen (UK) – Servadei, Maria Assunta (ITA)
Prevention of ankle injuries in soccer and rugby by neuromuscular stimulation and proprioceptive exercise
Buselli P, Ginevra G, Ferrari B, Bosoni R, Messina S (Brescia, Cremona, Pavia, Italy)
Hamstrings training effect on hip and knee joint function and injury prevention – Ono T, Hirose N (Tokio,Japan)
Functional movement screen and sprint performance in young soccer players – Sannicandro I, Cofano G, Rosa AR, Piccinno A (Foggia,Italy)
Functional movement screen and vertical jump performance in professional soccer players – Sannicandro I, Traficante P, Cofano G, Rosa AR, Piccinno A (Foggia, Italy)
Functional movement screen test scores in young soccer players – Cavaggioni L, Bardelli M, Pittaluga E, Alberti G (Milan,Italy)
A new futsal warmup program. Effect on joint injury prevention in young players – Danelon F, Stoppa V, Ribatti ML, Roi GS, Maccauro G (Milan,Italy)