THE INCIDENCE OF MUSCLE INJURIES OF CROATIAN ATHLETES ACCORDING TO THE ATHLETICS DISCIPLINE AND ANATOMICAL AREA

Atletika je natjecateljski sport za pojedince i timove koji se sastoji od nekoliko disciplina trčanja, skakanja i bacanja u kojima se pokazuju različite fizičke i tehničke vještine. Prema učestalosti ozljeđivanja atletika se nalazi uz sportske igre i borilačke sportove s visokim udjelom ozljeđivanja. Opterećenja visokog intenziteta i maksimalna ulaganja u sustavu treninga i natjecanja predstavljaju rizik od ozljeđivanja. Mišićne ozljede, odnosno istegnuća i rupture mišića najčešće su ozljede u atletičara. Svrha istraživanja je utvrditi pojavnost i druge pojedinosti vezane uz mišićne ozljede hrvatskih atletičara. Istraživanje je provedeno kroz anketni upitnik koji se sastoji od 29 pitanja, a sudjelovalo je 62 atletičara/ki. Od ukupnog broja ispitanika, njih 55 je jednom ili više puta imalo mišićnu ozljedu koja je zahtijevala fizioterapeutsku intervenciju. Najčešće ozljeđivani anatomski lokalitet jest noga, a najčešće ozlijeđene anatomske strukture su mišići stražnje lože natkoljenice. Bacači najviše ozljeđuju ruku, mišiće ramenog obruča, a u preostalim disciplinama najčešće ozlijeđen dio tijela je noga. Sprinteri, skakači, preponaši i višebojci u najvećem postotku ozljeđuju mišiće stražnje lože natkoljenice. Dugoprugaši najviše ozljeđuju mišiće stopala, a srednjoprugaši u jednakom postotku ozljeđuju mišiće prednje i stražnje lože natkoljenice. Trkači na 3000 m sa zaprekama najčešće ozljeđuju mišiće potkoljenice. Najviše se ispitanika ozlijedilo u zimskom pripremnom periodu (30,9%) na stadionu (69,1%). Ozljede su se najčešće dogodile pri sprintanju (40%), a prevelika razina umora (45,5%), nedovoljna razina fleksibilnosti i vlastita neopreznost najčešći su uzroci nastanka ozljede. U procesu rehabilitacije, koji je najčešće trajao 3 tjedna do mjesec dana, primjenjivane metode fizikalne terapije u najvećem broju bile su masaža, zatim ultrazvuk i elektroterapija. Čak 36,4% ozlijeđenih ispitanika doživjelo je ponavljanje ozljede. S obzirom na veliki broj sati provedenih na treningu, atletičari i treneri bi trebali posvetiti dodatne sate boljoj fizičkoj pripremi i vježbama za prevenciju ozljeda. Budući da je istraživanje izvršeno na malom broju ispitanika pojedine atletske discipline, predlažem da se nastavi u ovom smjeru istraživanja na uzorku od 100 atletičara po pojedinoj atletskoj disciplini.Athletics is a competitive sport for individuals and teams consisting of several events of running, jumping and throwing in which different physical and technical skills are demonstrated. According to the frequency of injuries, athletics is in addition to sports games and martial arts sport with a high proportion of injuries. High-intensity workloads and maximum investment in the training and competition system pose a risk of injury. Muscle injuries, ie sprains and ruptures of muscles, are the most common injuries of athletes. The purpose of the research is to determine the incidence and other details related to muscle injuries of Croatian athletes. The research was conducted through a survey questionnaire consisting of 29 questions, and 62 athletes participated. Of the total number of respondents, 55 had a muscle injury that required physiotherapy intervention one or more times, of which women were more injured. The most commonly injured body area is the leg, and the most commonly injured anatomical structures are the muscles of the posterior thigh. Throwers injure the arm the most, the muscles of the shoulder girdle, and in the remaining events the most commonly injured part of the body is the leg. Sprinters, jumpers, hurdlers and combined events athletes injure the muscles of the back of the thigh in the largest percentage. Long distance runners injure the foot muscles the most, while medium distance ones injure the muscles of the posterior and anterior thighs in the same percentage. Runners in the 3000 m with steeplechase most often injure the lower leg muscles. Most of the respondents were injured in the winter preparation period (30,9%), and the place where the injury occurred was mostly the stadium (69,1%). Injuries most commonly occurred while sprinting (40%), and excessive levels of fatigue (45,4%), insufficient levels of flexibility, and self-carelessness are the most common causes of injury. In the rehabilitation process, which usually lasted 3 weeks to a month, the most widely used methods of physical therapy were, in most cases, massage, followed by ultrasound and electrotherapy. As many as 36.4% of the injured respondents experienced a recurrence of the injury. Given the large number of hours spent in training, athletes and coaches should dedicate additional hours to better physical preparation and injury prevention exercises. Since the research was conducted on a small number of respondents in each athletic discipline, I suggest that it continue in this direction of research on a sample of 100 athletes per athletic event