• Werner Krutsch, Philipp Weishaupt, Florian Zeman, Markus Loibl, Carsten Neumann, Michael Nerlich, and Peter Angele.
• Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Franz-Josef-Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany, werner.krutsch@ukr.de.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2015 May 1;135(5):659-65.

IntroductionPhysical fitness and trunk stability are essential factors for successful soccer competition.Materials And MethodsWe investigated the impact of soccer exposure on the trunk muscle profile of players of different skill levels. Professional and amateur soccer players were examined for trunk flexibility and maximum isometric muscle strength in the midseason period 2011.Results24 professional soccer players who had not participated in any specific trunk muscle training programmes had significantly higher isometric trunk muscle strength in the sagittal plane (Ext: p = 0.003, Flex: p = 0.014), the frontal plane (Lat. right: p = 0.001, left: p = 0.003) and the transverse plane (Rotation right and left: p < 0.001) than 83 amateur soccer players. Professional players also had higher trunk flexibility in the sagittal plane (Flex: p = 0.001) and the transverse plane (Rotation right: p = 0.02, left: p = 0.002) than amateur players. The side of the dominant kicking leg had no influence on muscle strength and flexibility of the trunk.ConclusionTrunk flexibility and stability as necessary factors for avoiding physical overstress and injuries are differently trained in player of different soccer skill levels.

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