Abstract
Objective. To examine the use of medications and nutritional supplements among top-level male futsal players during international tournaments. Materials and Methods. This retrospective survey of the four consecutive 2000 to 2012 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Futsal World Cup tournaments analyzes data about the use of medications and nutritional supplements by each player prior to every match. A total of 5264 reports on 1064 futsal players were collected from the 188 matches played. Results. A total of 4237 medications and 8494 nutritional supplements (0.8 and 1.6 per player per match, resp.) were prescribed, and 64% of the players used at least one type of medication over the four tournaments. The most frequently prescribed medication was nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (41.1%), whereby 45.7% of all players consumed at least one NSAID during the tournament and 27.4% did so prior to every match. Conclusions. The intake of medications, particularly of NSAIDs, is frequently high among top-level futsal players and follows a similar pattern to that found in FIFA Football World Cups. Campaigns should be instituted to understand this prescription practice by team physicians involving professional football players, with the aim to decrease its use and to prevent athletes from potential short- and long-term risks.
Highlights
The role of the physician dedicated to a football team involves the treatment of injuries and their prevention
Study Design, Setting, and Data Collection. This is a retrospective survey of prescribed medications and nutritional supplements for male football players engaged in FIFA Futsal World Cup in four editions: 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012
The medications used by entire teams included homeopathic substances (4 teams), analgesics (3 teams), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (2 teams), antimicrobial agents (3 teams), and substances for skins disorders (1 team)
Summary
The role of the physician dedicated to a football team involves the treatment of injuries and their prevention. Previous studies have documented the high intake of medications among athletes, leading to the assumption of inappropriate and prophylactic use of painkilling agents. Such studies have questioned whether the reported administration of these medicines might endanger players’ health [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. “hall football,” is a variant of association football, albeit played on a smaller field and indoors. Considered one of the fastest growing sports in the world, futsal is characterized by the high anaerobic and speed demands imposed on its players [14]
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