THE ROLE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY IN ACUTE SPORT-RELATED INJURIES: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

The study aims to identify which resources are used by physiotherapy in the treatment of acute sports-related injuries and their benefits. This is an integrative literature review study with descriptive characteristics. To choose the articles, the inclusion criteria were articles that addressed all physiotherapeutic strategies in the acute phase of sports injuries, an indefinite time frame, intervention studies, reviews, dissertations and theses. Observational studies, case studies, case series, expert opinions and editorials were excluded. The present study highlights the importance of Sports Physiotherapy in the acute phase of injuries in high-performance and amateur athletes. Based on the evaluation of the articles analyzed, we can conclude that physiotherapy plays a crucial role in the treatment of sports injuries during the acute phase. The most frequent injuries to the lower limbs included mainly the knee, ankle, leg and groin. Furthermore, there is a lack of research that explores the effectiveness of physiotherapy at this specific stage, indicating the need for more intense attention to athletes. It is recommended that future studies be conducted with the aim of preventing and reducing injury rates among sports practitioners.