Prevalence of overuse injuries in athletes from individual and team sports: A systematic review with meta-analysis and GRADE recommendations

• Published in: Revista brasileira de fisioterapia (São Carlos (São Paulo, Brazil)) Brazil)), 2021-09, Vol.25 (5), p.500-513
• Main Authors: Franco, Manuella F., Madaleno, Fernanda O., de Paula, Thaís M.N., Ferreira, Thiago V., Pinto, Rafael Z., Resende, Renan A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletes; Athletic injuries; Athletic Injuries - epidemiology; Cumulative trauma disorder; Cumulative Trauma Disorders - epidemiology; Data pooling; Epidemiology; Humans; Prevalence; Systematic Review; Team Sports
• ISSN: 1413-3555; 1809-9246
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2021.04.013

Overuse injuries result from the cumulative process of repetitive microtrauma and overload on the musculoskeletal system, which causes tissue damage. Therefore, these injuries may have long-term negative consequences that decrease an athlete's performance. To estimate the prevalence of overuse injuries in individual and team sports. Searches on MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL from the first registration to February 2021 and hand-searching identified studies investigating the prevalence of overuse injuries in athletes from individual and team sports. Meta-analysis was conducted and the GRADE system summarized the overall quality of evidence. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019135665). Seventeen studies were included and pooling of 24 704 participants (22 748 of individual sports and 1.956 of team sports). Data from point- and period-prevalence of overuse injuries in individual and team sports were obtained. Pooled period-prevalence of overuse injuries in individual and team sports was 42.0% (95% CI: 30.0, 55.0) and 33.0% (95% CI: 21.0, 49.0), respectively. Another four studies investigated point-prevalence. The overall quality of evidence for the period-prevalence was of moderate quality. Sensitivity analyses suggested that different joints based in individual and team sports tended to increase the estimated prevalence of overuse injuries. Athletes, clinicians, sport teams, and policymakers should be aware of the high prevalence of overuse injuries in athletes, especially, in athletes from individual sports. Current moderate-quality evidence shows that future high-quality studies are likely to impact on the estimated prevalence. •This review provides prevalence of overuse injuries in athletes from individual and team sports.•Current low-quality evidence suggests that the prevalence is likely to change with future high-quality studies.•The prevalence of overuse injuries in individual sports (42.0%) was higher than in team sports (33.0%).•The high prevalence levels of overuse injuries in athletes might compromise athletes participation and performance.