Desfecho de lesões e doenças em paratletas de um centro de treinamento esportivo brasileiro

Abstract

With each new edition of the Paralympic Games, we visualize the growing evolution of the set of sports, whether in number of paralympic athletes or spectators at the event. An indication is the number of competitors at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, which had 4378 paraathletes, competing in 22 different sports. With this growth of Paralympic sport, efforts to reduce injuries and illnesses in this population must also be increased. The purpose of this study is to present musculoskeletal complaints and diseases, and their impact on training, in the Paralympic modalities of athletics, swimming and weightlifting, at a Brazilian sports training center during a period of six months. And with that, compound scientific understanding with data that can be used to foster more comprehensive approaches to injury and disease prevention. This is a cross-sectional observational study with parathletes from a Brazilian Sports Training Center, during the period of 24 weeks, between October 2019 and March 2020. The sample data were obtained through the “Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC), a questionnaire designed to record the magnitude, symptoms, and consequences of injuries and illnesses in sport. The questionnaire was distributed weekly online to the athletes. For the present study, data related to health problems, whether disease or injury, injured anatomical area or reported disease and outcome, were recorded. The research had the participation of 33 para-athletes (10 para-athletes in athletics, 12 para-athletes in weightlifting and 11 para-athletes in swimming), of which 22 had physical and motor alterations (66.6%), 6 visual (18.2%) and 5 (15.2%) intellectuals. As for gender, 27 are male (81.8%) and 6 are female (19.2%). The age range varied between 12 and 68 years old (mean 34.9 and SD 12). Given the complexity and multifactorial nature of sports injuries, it is essential to apply protective measures and reduce the relative risk of new injuries, especially in athletes with disabilities. Micro and macrotraumas may have a greater impact on the onset of injury in individuals who have intrinsic factors, such as impaired strength, balance, gait, coordination, sensitivity and structural anatomical changes, as they increase the demand for non-affected segments (through overuse). Illnesses and injuries negatively impact individual and team performance during sports practice, resulting in expenses with rehabilitation and sick leaves. Paralympic athletes who already have intrinsic predisposing factors for sports injuries must be managed and assisted individually, taking into account their own characteristics, including the way they perceive and face injuries and illnesses