847 MEP054 – Injuries in elite male futsal players: a one-season prospective study

AbstractBackground Futsal is a popular indoor team-sport worldwide, but despite its increasing popularity and the growing number of participants, studies reporting the epidemiology of injuries in futsal players are scarce and heterogenous in terms of level of competition and period of injury recording.Objective To describe and characterize the epidemiology of injuries sustained by elite/international level male futsal players in Portugal during the one season.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Top tier Portuguese male futsal league in the 2019–2020 season.Participants 167 male futsal players from 9 futsal teams competing in the top tier Portuguese league.Assessment of Risk Factors The location, type, body side, body part, mechanism of injury, severity, occurrence, days lost, training and match exposure were prospectively collected and recorded over an 8-month period.Main Outcome Measures Injury incidence, prevalence, and burden of injuries. Results Overall, 133 injuries were recorded during the season, and 92 (68%) players sustained injuries. The overall time-loss injury incidence was 4.5 injuries/1000 hours of exposure. Injury incidence during matches was higher than during training sessions (25.9 vs. 3.0 injuries/1000 hours of exposure, respectively). Average time loss was 9 days, and moderate injuries were the most frequent (44%), followed by mild injuries (24%). Injury burden was 74 days lost per 1000 hours of total player exposure. Sprains/ligament (29%) and muscle rupture/tear/strains (32%) were the most common injuries. The groin (19%), thigh (17%), knee (19%) and ankle (15%) were the most affected body areas. Non-contact injuries were the most reported mechanism (65%), and 24% were overuse injuries. Conclusions Over the 8-month season, elite and international level male futsal players were more prone to non-contact injuries, primarily affecting the lower limbs. The incidence during match-play increased by 9-fold compared with training sessions.