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The Role of Virtual Reality in the Management of Football Injuries

Authors :
Andrea Demeco
Antonello Salerno
Marco Gusai
Beatrice Vignali
Vera Gramigna
Arrigo Palumbo
Andrea Corradi
Goda Camille Mickeviciute
Cosimo Costantino
Source :
Medicina, Vol 60, Iss 6, p 1000 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Injuries represent a serious concern for football players, with a significant loss in terms of sport participation and long periods of rehabilitation. According to the 2019/20 UEFA Élite Club Injury Report, the average incidence of injuries during training is 2.8 per 1000 h of training, with an average absence from training of 20 days. In addition, injured athletes are 4 to 7 times more likely to relapse than uninjured athletes. High workloads and reduced recovery periods represent two of the most important modifiable risk factors. In this context, prevention and an adequate rehabilitation protocol are vital in managing injuries, reducing their incidence, and improving the return to competition. In recent years, technological development has provided new tools in rehabilitation, and Virtual reality (VR) has shown interesting results in treating neurologic and orthopedic pathologies. Virtual Reality (VR) technology finds application in the sports industry as a tool to examine athletes’ technical movements. The primary objective is to detect the biomechanical risk factors associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Additionally, VR can be used to train athletes in field-specific techniques and create safe and controlled therapeutic environments for post-injury recovery. Moreover, VR offers a customizable approach to treatment based on individual player data. It can be employed for both prevention and rehabilitation, tailoring the rehabilitation and training protocols according to the athletes’ specific needs.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16489144 and 1010660X
Volume :
60
Issue :
6
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Medicina
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.82af4e7ca6a545dbadf178493525a547
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60061000