A study developed by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine (FMUP) assessed the main neurological injuries that occurred in more than 30 different modalities.
FMUP researchers related football injuries to cases of concussion and post-concussion syndrome. Photo: DR
A group of researchers from Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) analysis of 300 scientific studies on neurological injuries occurring in the context of sports, concluding that direct injury to peripheral nerves, spinal cord injuries and craniocerebral injuries are the most reported by the medical scientific community.
In this review work, the researchers identified 33 modalities with scientific publications that link sports practice with neurological injuries.
This is the case of athletics, especially with injuries of a peripheral and transient nature and some life-threatening situations related to extreme physical exertion, baseball, with neurological injuries related to throwing, and football, with cases of concussion and syndrome post-concussion. .
“It is true that most injuries are benign and temporary, but there are cases that can be permanent and can affect the mobility and mortality of the athletes.”
And that is precisely why the doctor and the researcher Rui Araújoaccording to one of the authors of this study, the conclusions arising from the research are “relevant” for people involved in sports, namely medical teams and the athletes themselves.
Study is important to act effectively
“It is important that medical teams are aware of the variety and extent of these injuries in order to provide the most effective assistance.. It is important that athletes are made aware of the possible risks, that they comply with technical safety instructions from coaches and medical teams, as well as the strict use of protective equipment”, explains the FMUP professor.
Although the study does not allow us to say that one sport or another has a higher incidence of neurological injuries”, its conclusions “could be useful and act as a quick reference guide” for doctors and other health professionals attending to patients with neurological complaints. in a sporting context.
“Since we now know what types of injuries are most associated with certain sports practices, preventive maneuvers or gestures could be implemented such as, for example, using appropriate protections to reduce the impact of traumatic brain injury avoid or reduce”, for example. the neurologist doctor.
The authors give as an example a particular condition that affects, above all, professional golf and baseball players, called yipswhich “occurs when the ability to perform certain skills is suddenly lost without explanation”.
entitled “It’s in the game: A review of sports-related neurological lesions”, the article published in Journal of Neurological Sciences it is authored by doctors and researchers Mariana Pedrosa, Barbara Martins and Rui Araújo.