Abstract

The overtraining imposed by competitiveness and the imbalance between the mechanic overstress and the functional resistance of the tissues have led to a high incidence of joint traumas in the studied sports.
Objectives. To reduce the number of traumas in the studied sportsmen through the identification of the risk factors and the introduction of prevention exercises and stretching methods in the training process, both during warm-up and post-effort rehabilitation, in order to prevent accidents and increase performance in competitive sportsmen.
Material and method. The study batch included 155 sportsmen (52 (33.5%) female and 103 (66.5%) male) who practiced athletics (sprint and hurdles), basketball, handball, football and volleyball. The sportsmen were between 13 and 42 years old and had been practicing sports for 4-20 years. It covered three competition years (August 2006 – July 2009) during which the sportsmen were closely monitored. The mean, the standard deviation and the standard error were calculated for all numerical parameters. A comparison of the percentage of traumas and injured sportsmen by sport, sex, age groups and time spent in sports practicing was made in the same period and between the two periods.
Results: The comparison of traumas occurring in several body segments (forearm, thigh, elbow, spine, face, calf, knee, ankle, hand, foot and shoulder) in the two periods had the following results: in the second period, August 2008 – July 2009, significantly less traumas affected the thigh, elbow, spine, calf, knee, ankle, hand and shoulder; in the second period, the decrease in number of traumas was insignificant for the forearm, face and foot.