Main injuries in soccer and prevention strategies – Literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v15i4.50878Keywords:
Sports injuries, Soccer, Injury prevention.Abstract
Soccer is recognized as the most popular sport in the world, involving millions of participants at both professional and amateur levels. However, the physical demands of the sport, including accelerations, decelerations, rapid changes of direction, jumps, and physical contact, significantly increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. In this context, the present study aimed to identify scientific evidence on the main sports injuries in amateur and professional soccer players, as well as to analyze differences between these groups regarding prevalence, prevention, and treatment strategies. This study is a literature review conducted through searches in the PubMed and SciELO databases, using controlled descriptors from DeCS and MeSH combined with the Boolean operator AND. Studies published between 2020 and 2025, in Portuguese and English, with full-text access and directly addressing the occurrence of injuries in soccer were included.The results show that most injuries occur in the lower limbs, especially in the thigh, knee, and ankle, with muscle strains and ligament sprains being the most frequent types. A higher incidence of injuries was also observed during matches compared to training sessions, due to greater competitive intensity. Preventive programs based on neuromuscular training, such as FIFA 11+ and Knee Control, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing injury incidence, contributing to athletes' safety and longevity in sports.
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