INCIDENCE OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES IN SOCCER PLAYERS – PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

Abstract

Introduction: Soccer is the most popular and most practiced sport in the world and because it is a high performance sport, it generates an excessive physical wear, causing a high rate of injuries. Because it has great physical contact, it presents short, fast and non-continuous movements and also because of the excess of games and trainings during a season, it ends up causing great losses for the athlete, his club and also his sponsors. In this context, physiotherapists have gained a lot of space in recent times, with the objective of recovering injured athletes and also to develop preventions, for a better physical performance of the athlete and a lower risk of new injuries. Objetive: To analyze the incidence of injuries in professional soccer players. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach, carried out with 25 professional soccer players from a high performance team, where the athletes answered a questionnaire. Results: From the sample studied, 76% of the athletes presented musculoskeletal injuries, of which 35% were muscular and the most affected site was the thigh (26%), most of the injuries (74%) were caused indirectly and during the games (76%). Conclusion: The study showed a low rate of injuries, most of the injuries were of the muscular type in the thigh region and affected more midfielders. The players believe that the excessive weekly training, the short interval between games, and the Brazilian season interfere with indirect injuries.