Managing Lower Limb Muscle Reinjuries in Athletes: From Risk Factors to Return-to-Play Strategies

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Muscle reinjuries significantly impact football athletes, causing performance impairment and health issues.
• High reinjury rates persist despite advancements in rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols.
• Nonmodifiable risk factors like age and prior injuries contribute to recurrent muscle damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of muscle reinjuries in athletes.
• To explore epidemiology, risk factors, clinical management, and prevention strategies.
• To highlight the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in mitigating muscle reinjuries.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing current research on muscle reinjuries.
• Analysis of epidemiological data and identified risk factors.
• Examination of clinical management and prevention techniques, including eccentric exercises and load monitoring.

Main Results:

• Reinjury rates remain high, influenced by factors such as age and previous injuries.
• Effective clinical management involves accurate diagnosis, tailored rehabilitation, and strict return-to-play criteria.
• Eccentric exercises, optimal loading, and training load monitoring are crucial for prevention.

Conclusions:

• A multidisciplinary approach is essential for managing muscle reinjuries.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a promising avenue for predicting and preventing reinjuries.
• Further research is needed to develop innovative AI-driven strategies to reduce muscle reinjuries in football players.