Strategies for injury prevention in Brazilian football: Perceptions of physiotherapists and practices of premier league teams

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the physiotherapists perceptions and the current practices for injury prevention in elite football (soccer) clubs in Brazil.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Group of Science in Sports & Exercise, Federal University of Healthy Sciences of Porto Alegre (Brazil).

Participants: 16 of the 20 football clubs involved in the Brazilian premier league 2015.

Main outcome measures: Physiotherapists answered a structured questionnaire.

Results: Most physiotherapists (∼88%) were active in design, testing and application of prevention programs. Previous injury, muscle imbalance, fatigue, hydration, fitness, diet, sleep/rest and age were considered "very important" or "important" injury risk factors by all respondents. The methods most commonly used to detect athletes' injury risk were: monitoring of biochemical markers (100% of teams), isokinetic dynamometry (81%), questionnaires (75%), functional movement screen (56%), fleximetry (56%) and horizontal jump tests (50%). All clubs used strength training, functional training, core exercises and balance/proprioception exercises in their injury prevention program; and Nordic hamstring exercise and other eccentric exercises were used by 94% of clubs. "FIFA 11+" prevention program was adapted by 88% of clubs.

Conclusion: Physiotherapists perceptions and current practices of injury prevention within Brazilian elite football clubs were similar to those employed in developed countries. There remains a gap between clinical practice and scientific evidence in high performance football.

Keywords: Exercises; Soccer; Sports injuries; Tests.