Perfil de lesões relacionadas à prática de Jiu-jitsu

Abstract

Jiu-jitsu is a discipline that has integrated well into Brazilian culture, particularly following the creation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a fighting style widely adopted and practiced throughout the country. As with any sport, injury is an aspect associated with BJJ practice. The aim of this study was to characterize the profile of sports injuries affecting BJJ practitioners in gyms and dojos. Additionally, the group of participants reporting a single injury in the past year was compared with the group reporting more than one injury regarding variables related to sports practice. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted, recruiting 79 BJJ practitioners via convenience sampling. Inclusion criteria were: participants of either gender, aged over 18, who had practiced the sport for at least one year with a frequency of at least once a week, and who had participated in at least one competition in the past year, regardless of category or rank. Exclusion criteria were: practitioners of adaptive BJJ and reports of metabolic diseases affecting the nervous or musculoskeletal systems. Data collection was performed individually at each participant's training location; they answered a questionnaire covering characteristics of their sports practice and their injury history over the past year. Among the 79 recruited BJJ practitioners, 72 (91.1%) reported having sustained at least one injury in the past year. Of these, 37 (51.4%) indicated having had one injury, while 35 (48.6%) reported having had more than one (2–5 injuries). The majority of injuries were non-recurrent (n = 112, 87.5%), resulted from trauma (n = 110, 78.1%), and occurred during training (n = 115, 89.8%). The group that reported more than one injury exhibited a higher weekly training frequency (p = 0.009) and used a greater number of personal protective equipment items (p = 0.003). Regarding the reported injuries, participants indicated that in 70 cases (54.7%), they had not yet fully returned to their pre-injury performance level or a higher one. Thus, this study demonstrated a high prevalence of injuries associated with BJJ practice. The findings may contribute to understanding the injury profile of BJJ practitioners and, consequently, to strategies for preventing such injuries.