Fear-avoidance following musculoskeletal injury in male adolescent Gaelic footballers

Abstract

Gaelic football participation provides a wealth of benefits but a risk of 4 musculoskeletal injury also exists. Injury is associated with physical consequences, including 5 pain, discomfort, loss of function, time absent from school/sport, considerable medical 6 expenses along with placing undue pressure on emergency services and hospital staff. 7 Concurrent psychological consequences, such as fear-avoidance, can also occur causing 8 psychological distress. There is a current dearth of available research examining the 9 psychology of injury in male adolescent Gaelic footballers.