Patellar fracture among elite-level European soccer players: 4-year case-control cohort analysis of return to play, re-injury, and player performance

Objectives There is a paucity of literature investigating the relationship between patellar fracture and player performance of professional soccer players following return to play (RTP). Our goal is to determine the rate of RTP, time to RTP, and effect on player performance following patellar fracture. Methods Twenty-one elite-level European professional soccer players who sustained a patellar fracture between 1999 and 2018 were identified via a publicly accessible database. Athletes with patellar fracture were matched to controls by age, height, years played in the league, season of injury, and position. Change in performance metrics between one season prior to injury and the following four seasons after injury were compared. Results Players with patellar fracture were absent for a mean 207.95 +/- 135.55 days and 16.81 +/- 31.79 games. Fifteen (71%) players returned to play after injury with 67% returning within 1 season after injury. Injured players did not demonstrate significant change in performance metrics at any of the follow-up timepoints compared to control. Subgroup analysis showed that attackers recorded approximately 1200 fewer minutes played per season than pre-injury levels 2 seasons following injury, significantly fewer (p < 0.05) than the control cohort recording similar minutes per season throughout the study period. Midfielders and defenders demonstrated similar fluctuations in performance to the control cohort for both field time and performance metrics (p > 0.05). Conclusion Seventy-one percent of players RTP after patellar fracture with an associated absence of 7 months and 17 missed games. Overall, injured players did not demonstrate a significant decline in performance as demonstrated by games played, total minutes played per season, minutes per game, assists, and goals 1 season after injury. Attackers played fewer minutes during the season of and 2 seasons after the initial injury.

Automated summary

This study investigated the return to play (RTP) rate, time to RTP, and effect on player performance following patellar fracture in professional soccer players. Results showed that approximately 71% of players were able to RTP after an average absence of 7 months and missing 17 games. Overall, there was no significant decline in injured players' performance in the season following the injury.