Prevalência de lesões em atletas de base do futebol masculino de Maceió/AL

Abstract

Introduction: The practice of football has evolved over the years, modifying its character of the game, previously focused on the spectacle (football-art), to a systematic practice that increasingly requires the preparation and physical vigor of the athletes, increasing this way, injury rates. In the regional scenario of northeastern Brazil, there are few studies that report information on injuries in soccer athletes, especially in the case of youth categories. Objectives: This cross-sectional descriptive study aims to verify the prevalence and characteristics of injuries reported in athletes from the youth soccer categories of Alagoas. Methods: Two questionnaires were applied, in which the first one sought socioeconomic information about the participants and in the second questionnaire, the objective was to investigate data related to the soccer practice of these athletes, such as: age of initiation in soccer, position on the field, among others. Results: 17 injuries were found, as there were players who were injured more than once. The most prevalent types of injuries were sprains (6 athletes - 35.2%) and muscle strain (5 athletes - 29.4%), data that, according to the study by Silva & Bernaldino (2019), are also found in research carried out with professional football athletes. In relation to the most affected location, the leg (5 athletes - 29.4%) and the knee (5 athletes - 29.4%) had the highest prevalence. It was found that athletes were more affected by injuries classified between moderate (8 to 28 days of leave) and severe (more than 28 days), diverging from the data presented in the study by Barbalho (2017), carried out with professional athletes. Conclusion: There were several musculoskeletal injuries among the interviewees. It was also noticed that most of these injuries occurred in training and without contact mechanism. Basic athletes have more serious injuries than professionals and spend more time away. At the base, the wingers and midfielders are the ones that get hurt the most, while in the professionals, the forwards have more injuries. Despite the limited sample size, the results suggest the need for greater attention and care when planning soccer training with people similar to those observed here.