janek36

Jan Ekstrand

Visiting Professor

I have been the main responsible person for UEFA's research on sports safety for elite-level football players in Europe until 2022. I still participate in a research group at LiU (Football Research Group, FRG) that handles these UEFA projects.

Short texts

CV

  • Professor, Med Dr, specialist in Orthopaedic surgery
  • PhD 1982. Was the first who showed in a RCT that sports injuries could be prevented
  • Chief Medical Officer at Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital 2018-2020
  • Professor of Sports-Medicine, University of Linköping, Sweden since 2000
  • Leading UEFA Elite Club Injury studies 2001-2023
  • Team physician of the Swedish National Football team for 120 matches,
  • World Cup bronze medal 1994
  • 10 000 followers on X: @JanEkstrand

Network

Football Research Group (FRG)
UEFA Elite Club Injury study network (women and men)

Publications

Ekstrand J, Gillquist J, Liljedahl S-O. Prevention of soccer injuries through medical supervision: the role of doctors and physiotherapists. Am J Sports Med 1983.
First RCT showing the possibility to prevent Sports Injuries

Ekstrand J, Bengtsson H, Waldén M, et al. Hamstring injury rates have increased during recent seasons and now constitute 24% of all injuries in men’s professional football: the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study from 2001/02 to 2021/22. Br J Sports Med 2022
Most cited study in BJSM (impact factor 11) during 2022

Ekstrand, J., Hallén, A., Marin, V. et al. Most modifiable risk factors for hamstring muscle injury in women’s elite football are extrinsic and associated with the club, the team, and the coaching staff and not the players themselves: the UEFA Women’s Elite Club Injury Study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 31, 2550–2555 (2023)
ESKAscientific prize for best article published in KSSTA during 2023

2025

Jan Ekstrand, Martin Hägglund, Markus Walden, Håkan Gauffin, Christophe Baudot, Paco Biosca, Markus Braun, Karl Heinrich Dittmar, Dimitrios Kalogiannidis, Steve Mcnally, Ricard Pruna, Nelson Puga, Max Sala, Luca Stefanini, Peter Ueblacker, Bruno Vanhecke, Maikel van Wijk, Wart Van Zoest, Jose Maria Villalon Alonso, Armin Spreco (2025) Higher level of communication between the medical staff and the performance staff is associated with a lower hamstring injury burden: a substudy on 14 teams from the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, Vol. 11, Article e002182 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2024

Markus Walden, Mariann Gajhede Knudsen, Jan Ekstrand, Martin Hägglund, Pieter D'Hooghe, Hakan Alfredson, Håkan Bengtsson (2024) Achilles Tendon Pain in Male Professional Football Players - A Prospective Five-Season Study of 88 Injuries from the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 15, p. 171-179 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Anna Hallén, Rita Tomas, Jan Ekstrand, Håkan Bengtsson, Elke Van den Steen, Martin Hägglund, Markus Waldén (2024) UEFA Women's Elite Club Injury Study: a prospective study on 1527 injuries over four consecutive seasons 2018/2019 to 2021/2022 reveals thigh muscle injuries to be most common and ACL injuries most burdensome British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 58, p. 128-135 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2023

Jan Ekstrand, Wart Van Zoest, Håkan Gauffin (2023) Changes in head staff members in male elite-level football teams are associated with increased hamstring injury burden for that season: the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study BMJ OPEN SPORT & EXERCISE MEDICINE, Vol. 9, Article e001640 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Jan Ekstrand, Peter Ueblacker, Wart Van Zoest, Raymond Verheijen, Bruno Vanhecke, Maikel van Wijk, Håkan Bengtsson (2023) Risk factors for hamstring muscle injury in male elite football: medical expert experience and conclusions from 15 European Champions League clubs BMJ OPEN SPORT & EXERCISE MEDICINE, Vol. 9, Article e001461 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

Ongoing research projects

• Level of communication between the medical staff and the performance staff and association with hamstring injury burden: a sub-study on 14 teams from the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study
• Do injuries to key players relate to team success in male Champions League teams? A sub-study on 14 teams from the UEFA Elite Club Injury Study
• Return to play time for common injuries in elite European women’s club football. A 7- year follow up of injuries in the UEFA Women’s Elite Club Injury Study
• Do replacements of staff around a women’s elite team affect injury rates?

News