Knowledge, attitudes and practices of injury prevention towards lateral ankle sprain among amateur football players in Brunei

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. Football is a globally recognized sport and played both professionally and recreationally. As it is a physically challenging sport, it must inform players on preventing injuries from occurring or reoccurring. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on injury prevention towards lateral ankle sprain (LAS) among amateur football players in Brunei. Material and Methods. A total of 140 respondents participated in the cross-sectional study who fit into the inclusion criteria. An online questionnaire was adapted and shared with amateur football players in Brunei from September 2021 to October 2021. Questions were related to (1) demographic data; (2) injury history; (3) knowledge; (4) attitudes; and (5) practices to prevent a lateral ankle sprain.   Results. Tendon/ligament injury was the highest amount of frequency at n= 97 (69.3%), in which the participants have sustained it throughout their playing years. More people perceive that the cause of injury was mainly due to lack of physical fitness 84.2%, fatigue/exhaustion 55%, uncured injuries 49.3% and contact with other players 75.7%. 84.3% agreed that the importance of injury prevention is crucial. Participants reported that the injury prevention methods are mainly used to prevent lateral ankle sprain were stretching 81.4%, specific warm-up training 79.3% and taping 67.9%. Conclusions. Our results show that players think that injury prevention is critical, yet most of them are still under-informed about avoiding injuries properly. Despite evidence that stretching is ineffective in preventing injuries, many athletes stretch to prevent damage. Warm-up training and taping are two other standard injury prevention techniques these amateur football players use. Future research should raise exercise knowledge among Brunei’s amateur football players to prevent injuries.