PREVALENCE OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES IN INDIAN BLIND FOOTBALL PLAYERS - AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

¹Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Faculty of Sports and Exercise Sciences, Chennai, India

Background: Visually impaired athletes in India have no scientific data to know the pattern of injuries. Understanding the injuries happening on the field is important because the role of a physiotherapist and knowledge of the physiotherapist about the game is needed. This study mainly concentrates on the injuries happening in the tournament. This scientific evidence will give a keen understanding about areas of concern needed in this sport and gives an idea which type of clinical tests can be done for musculoskeletal screening in blind football players.​​​​

Purpose: To know the common injuries happening on the field helps the player and the trainer understand the modifications needed in the training protocol.

Methods: It is an Observational Study where the active participation of the physiotherapist in the medical team and the researcher is needed. The injuries happening on the field is noted by the observer or the researcher and the injuries reported to the medical team are noted by the physiotherapist present in the medical team. This research study includes 2 physiotherapists where 1 therapist will be with the medical team assigned to the tournament and one for the on-field observation, when an injury is reported to the team the injury is noted by 1 using a data sheet prepared by the primary investigator and if any contact injuries in the game that will be noted by another person, the injuries reported to the medical team will be noted and video analysis will be done to calculate the number of injuries versus the number of injuries reported to the medical team.

Results: A descriptive analysis of demographic data has been calculated, the mean of age is 23.2, mean of the level of blindness is1.46, the standard deviation of age is3.56, the standard deviation of level of blindness is0.500, the kurtosis value of age is0.113and kurtosis value for the level of blindness is-2.008. The test of normality was done to check the symmetry in the sample collected, Shapiro Wilk test has been done the value for age of the population is0.123,and value for the level of blindness is less than0.001, The prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries(39.5%)is more on the field than non-musculoskeletal injuries(12.7%). The prevalence rate of contact injuries(76.9%)is more than that of non-contact injuries(23.0%). The prevalence of shin-shin and head-to-head impacts is higher.

Conclusions: The prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries is more than the non-musculoskeletal on the field. High risk of contact injuries are observed in Indian Blind Football Players. The prevalence rate of injuries is more in the lower extremity of the body. There is an observation that there are very less injuries reported to the medical team posted in the tournament.

Implications: 1) A base knowledge of musculoskeletal injuries happening on the field in blind football athletes
2) A base data to produce a sports-specific injury prevention protocol for athletes.

Funding acknowledgements: nil

Keywords:
Prevalance
Blind football

Topics:
Disability & rehabilitation

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: sri Ramachandra Institue of Higher Education and Research

Committee: Institutional Ethics Committee

Ethics number: CSP/22/MAR/108/216