Genetic variants in several candidate genes which code for structural constituents (COL1A1 rs1800012, COL1A2 rs412777, COL5A1 rs12722 and ACTN3 rs1815739), regulatory components (ACE rs1799752, ESR1 rs2234693 and MMP3 rs679620) and transcription factors (VDR rs2228570 and GDF5 rs143383) affecting the form, function and injury susceptibility of muscle, bone, ligament, and tendon tissue will be associated with overall injury, non-contact, bone, ligament, tendon and apophysitis injury risk in elite male youth and adult footballers.
Understanding how candidate genes, previously associated with injury susceptibility, influence the incidence of muscle, bone, ligament, and tendon injuries across the development pathway of elite footballers may provide valuable insight into inherent injury predisposition to support the long-term development of every individual. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between candidate genetic variants and muscle, bone, ligament, and tendon injuries in elite football with sub-analysis of the influence of age and maturation on injury susceptibility.