INTRODUCTION: Athletics is an umbrella sport with high incidence of musculoskeletal injuries; however, the literature presents little information on injuries in Paralympics athletics. OBJECTIVE: This study was to describe the profile of the musculoskeletal complaints, their anatomical locations, and physiotherapeutic resources used during the Paralympic Athletics World Championships in Christchurch in 2011. METHODS: The Brazilian delegation included 34 athletes. Their musculoskeletal complaints, affected anatomical regions, and the physiotherapy resources used were daily recorded for all of the physiotherapy sessions. The sessions were held in the hotel that hosted the delegation and at the competition venue. RESULTS: Out of the 34 athletes, 25 (73.5%) were treated at the Department of Physiotherapy. The main complaints were myalgia (38.4%), followed by arthralgia (23%). The region of the body with the most complaints was the thigh (n = 8, 30.7%), followed by the knee (n = 6, 23%). A total of 428 physiotherapy sessions were performed. At the hotel, the mostly used therapeutic approach was the ultrasound (35.1%), followed by TENS (31.2%) and cryotherapy (23.3%). At the competition venue, the mostly used therapeutic approach was cryotherapy (44.1%), followed by massage (37.2%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the major injuries in this sport and help to develop programs aimed for injury prevention.
athletic injuries; athletic performance; physiotherapy
