PHYSIOTHERAPY PROCEDURES IN THE TREATMENT OF THE MOST COMMON INJURIES OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Nogomet kao jedan od najpopularnijih profesionalnih sportova današnjice stavlja pred igrače velike fizičke zahtjeve i opterećenja tijekom treninga i natjecateljskih utakmica što ima za posljedicu sklonost učestalim akutnim i kroničnim ozljedama koje nogometaše mogu udaljiti s terena na duži period ili čak dovesti u pitanje opstanak cjelokupne karijere. Cilj ovog završnog rada bio je utvrditi najčešće ozljede nogometaša, njihovu lokalizaciju, prirodu ozljeda i učestalost, načine liječenja i trajanje oporavka te primjenu različitih postupaka fizikalne terapije kod najčešćih specifičnih ozljeda. Istraživački dio rada proveden je pomoću anonimnog anketnog upitnika na temelju procjene nogometaša o vlastitoj povijesti ozljeda i njihovom liječenju. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali veliku učestalost dugotrajnih i ozbiljnih ozljeda donjih ekstremiteta, naročito mišića i ligamenata, uslijed kojih su nogometaši u mnogim slučajevima morali biti podvrgnuti operacijskim zahvatima i dugotrajnim fizioterapijskim postupcima. Ozljede su se pojavljivale za vrijeme treninga podjednako često kao i za vrijeme natjecateljskih utakmica. Iz tog razloga, kao i činjenice da edukacija stručnog osoblja i igrača ima veliki utjecaj na prirodu i učestalost različitih ozljeda, adekvatna primjena mjera prevencije nastanka ozljeda ima ključnu ulogu u smanjenju broja ozljeda nogometaša. Nakon nastanka ozljede neki od ključnih uvjeta za uspješan povratak u stanje prije ozljede su pravovremena dijagnostika i početak primjenjivanja postupaka fizikalne terapije te njihovo stručno i kvalitetno provođenje.Football or soccer, as one of the most popular professional sports today, places great physical demands and strain on the players during training and competitive matches, which results in a tendency to frequent acute and chronic injuries that can keep football players off the field for long periods of time or even endanger their entire careers. The aim of this undergraduate thesis was to determine the most common injuries of football players, their localisation, nature of these injuries and frequency, methods of treatment and duration of recovery, as well as the application of various physical therapy procedures for the most common specific injuries. The research part of the work was carried out through an anonymous questionnaire based on the footballers’ assessment of their own history of injuries and their treatment. The results of the research showed a high frequency of long-term and serious injuries of the lower extremities, especially muscles and ligaments, so in many cases football players had to undergo surgery and long-term physiotherapy procedures. Injuries occurred as often during training as during competitive matches. For this reason, and due to the fact that education of professional staff and players has a great influence on the nature and frequency of various injuries, adequate application of measures to prevent the occurrence of injuries plays an important role in reducing the number of injuries. After the occurrence of an injury, some of the key factors that contribute to a successful return to the pre-injury state are promptly diagnosis and start of physical therapy application, as well as their professional and high-quality implementation