{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T18:12:01Z","timestamp":1778177521382,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Football injuries are a major source of morbidity among athletes, imposing health and economic burdens on teams and systems. While extensive surveillance exists in Europe, data from sub-Saharan Africa remain scarce. This study described the incidence, patterns, severity, and contextual factors of match-related injuries among professional male footballers in Cameroon.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A prospective cohort design was conducted during the 2023\/2024 Cameroon Elite 1 and Elite 2 league playoff tournaments. Match-day medical officers recorded all medical-attention injuries using standardized consensus-based forms [1]. Injury incidence was calculated per 1,000 player-hours, and descriptive analyses summarized injury characteristics. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Douala and authorization from the Cameroon Football Federation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Across 139 matches, 171 injuries were recorded giving an incidence of 37.3 per 1,000 player-hours. Elite 2 players had more than double the rate of Elite 1 players (53.6 vs. 26.3). Lower-limb injuries (71.9%) predominated, mainly affecting the thigh (33.9%) and lower leg (17.5%). The most common diagnoses were cramps (20.5%), contusions (19.9%), and sprains (17.5%). Severe injuries (&gt;28 days) represented 20.5%, with tears, fractures, and concussions most frequent. Nearly half injuries occurred in the final 30 minutes of play, and midfielders and attackers sustained 68% of all injuries.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This first surveillance study in Cameroon reveals a high match injury burden, particularly in lower-tier leagues. The late-match clustering supports fatigue-related mechanisms, emphasizing the need for targeted prevention focusing on conditioning, workload regulation, and medical readiness in African football.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0348717","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T17:25:00Z","timestamp":1778174700000},"page":"e0348717","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Injury incidence, patterns, and severity in cameroon professional Men\u2019s Football: A prospective injury surveillance study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Gilbert Mua","family":"Akwa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-9187-6749","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Tankeng","family":"Leonard Tanko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Njowe Serge","family":"Ludwig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ange Veronique","family":"Ngo Bilong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nana Chunteng","family":"Theophile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0348717.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsm.2005.025270","article-title":"Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries","volume":"40","author":"CW Fuller","year":"2006","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"issue":"20","key":"pone.0348717.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1451","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2016-097298","article-title":"The athlete monitoring cycle: a practical guide to interpreting and applying training monitoring data","volume":"51","author":"TJ Gabbett","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br J Sports Med"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0348717.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-199214020-00002","article-title":"Incidence, severity, aetiology and prevention of sports injuries. 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