Perfil de lesões esportivas em praticantes de modalidades paralímpicas

Abstract

The growth of parasports increases the need to understand injury profiles to guide prevention and rehabilitation efforts. This study aimed to characterize the sports injury profile of para-athletes across six Paralympic disciplines and to identify subgroups based on athlete- and sport-related factors that had or had not sustained a sport-related injury in the past year. The study involved 130 para-athletes aged 18 or older who had been practicing their sport for at least one year and had no cognitive impairment. Data were collected in person using a questionnaire. Observed frequencies and percentages for each questionnaire response were calculated to describe the findings. CART analysis was used to determine whether athlete- and sport-related factors predicted a history of injury. Participants reported 56 para-sport-related injuries over the past year. In the majority of cases 44 (78.6%) the athlete did not stop participating; 29 (51.8%) injuries were recurrent, 46 (82.1%) were due to overuse, and 38 (85.7%) occurred during training. The CART model revealed various interactions between injury history and variables such as age, sport discipline, warm-up routines, competitions, participation in other physical activities, sex, and duration of sports practice.