Comparative study of injury incidence in soccer players during Regional Games of Sertãozinho – 2006 and Jaboticabal – 2008

Soccer is one of the most popular and practiced sports in the world. This sport has been changed over the years and instead of emphasis on technique, currently the physical components are more favored, increasing the injury risk. Regional Games were created to stimulate young athletes and sports practice. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative epidemiological survey of male sub-21 soccer players injuries in the Regional Games of 2006 and 2008. This is an epidemiological and comparative study of analytical type. Records of assessment used at Regional Games of Sertãozinho 2006 and Jaboticabal 2008 were consulted. All soccer games were followed and the injuries found at games were registered by their incidence and classification. Injuries were classified according to the profile and anatomical segment. The highest incidence of injuries was found in Sertãozinho – 2006 with 163 injuries compared to Jaboticabal. Among these, muscle injuries were the most frequent (39,2 %), followed by contusions (32%) and sprains (24,5%). In Jaboticabal 2008, contusions were the most frequent injury (44%), followed by sprains (32%) and muscle injuries (20%). This study demonstrated that there is a high level of injury in these competitions and Jaboticabal (2008) presented a decreased in incidence of injury compared with Sertãozinho (2006)