Greenwood, L., Greenwood, M., Kreider, R., Earnest, C. P., Brown, L. E., Farris, J., & Byars, A. (2002). Effects of creatine supplementation on the incidence of cramping/injury during eighteen weeks of Division I football training/competition. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(5), Supplement abstract 812.

This study investigated if creatine supplementation increased the incidence of muscle cramping or injury. College football players (N = 72) served as Ss. One group (N = 38) ingested 20-30 g of creatine for 5-7 days followed by 5-10 g/d during 17 weeks of training and competition. The remaining Ss (N = 34) did not use creatine. All Ss had access to carbohydrate supplementation. [The control condition Ss were not randomly assigned.]

The number of injuries and athletic problems was either lower in the creatine group or of similar proportion in both groups. Creatine use did not escalate injury of sport-health related problems.

Implication. Creatine supplementation does not develop injury problems in college football players.

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