Sports Injuries in Brazilian Blind Footballers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics and prevalence of sports-related injuries in visually disabled athletes of the Brazilian football 5-a-side team. The participants were 13 male athletes, all classified as B1 visual class, members of the Brazilian team, who played in five consecutive international competitions. Data were collected using the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and the Brazilian Confederation of Sports for the Blind report form. From the total of 13 athletes, 11 succumbed to some form of injury during the 5 competitions, which incorporated 23 matches, representing a prevalence of 84.6%. A total of 35 sports injuries were recorded, giving a clinical incidence of 2.7 injuries per athlete and an injury risk of 0.85 and an incidence rate of 0.12 injuries per match. Traumatic injuries (80%) were more common than overuse injuries (20%) (p<0.05). The highest distribution of injury was in the lower limbs (80%), followed by the head (8.6%), spine (5.7%) and upper limbs (5.7%). The body regions most affected were the knee (28.6%), feet (17.1%), ankle (11.4%) and thigh (11.4%). Contusions (31.4%), sprains (25.7%) and tendinopathy (8.6%) were the most frequent diagnoses. This is the first study to describe the nature and prevalence of sports-related injuries in 5-a-side football in blind athletes. The results are important in guiding strategies to inform the implementation of preventive pathways and provide a strong rationale for the compulsory use of additional protective equipment.

Avaliação isocinética em atletas da seleção brasileira de futebol de 5

“…Apesar de indivíduos com deficiência visual apresentarem um equilíbrio muscular inferior aos sujeitos sem deficiência, sendo mais suscetíveis a lesão muscular 1,2 , não observamos tais alterações neste grupo de atletas. Devido a não existência de publicações de valores normativos para os parâmetros neuromusculares em atletas com deficiência visual praticantes de futebol de 5, os valores do nosso estudo foram comparados com os valores normativos estabelecidos para o futebol convencional.…”

“…Por exemplo, quase 60% das lesões registradas em esportes paralímpicos, para deficientes visuais, ocorrem em membros inferiores, das quais, praticamente 50% estão relacionadas as estruturas mencionadas. No Futebol de 5, cuja elegibilidade é para atletas cegos, a incidência de lesões nos membros inferiores é ainda maior, representando aproximadamente 80% do total de lesões 1,2 . A utilização de metodologias que permitam avaliar o desequilíbrio muscular, com objetivo de prevenir lesões, torna-se assim crucial para possibilitar adequações das sessões de treinamento.…”

Sport Injuries in Elite Paralympic Swimmers With Visual Impairment

“…In Olympic 17 and Paralympic 4 sports, swimming is generally considered a low-risk sport when compared with other activities. Magno e Silva et al 18 observed that blind elite footballers presented a clinical incidence of 2.7 injuries per athlete during a 4-year period of observation, including 5 competitions and 23 matches.…”

Sports Medicine Considerations for the Paralympic Athlete

“…Following expected sports-specific injury trends, in a study of Paralympic track and field athletes with visual impairment, investigators found that tendinopathies, spasms, and strains were most commonly observed, predominantly affecting the lower extremities [44]. In Brazilian footballers with visual impairment, investigators also observed a predominance of acute traumatic injuries involving the lower limbs, followed by injuries to the head, spine, and upper limbs [45]. By contrast, overuse injuries were found to be more prevalent than traumatic injuries in elite Paralympic swimmers with visual impairment.…”