Scientists at the Southern Federal University have found that sometimes it is not the injury itself that is more dangerous, but the attitude towards it. It can determine the duration of an athlete's career and even the quality of his life in the future.

The research was conducted by the staff of the SFedU Academy of Physical Culture and Sports. Two groups of football players took part in it: young men aged 8-9 years and experienced players with an average age of about 26 years. The choice of football is not accidental — this sport remains one of the leaders in the number of injuries.

In their study, the authors consider sports injury as a complex phenomenon that includes not only physical injury, but also a psychological condition that affects an athlete's behavior, motivation, and decisions.

According to Alla Lysenko, the head of the scientific department at the Academy of Physical Culture and Sports related to the development of technologies for achieving active and healthy longevity, SFedU Professor, the article presents the interim results of a large-scale study:

"Our goal is to create roadmaps for improving the quality and longevity of life for various professional groups, including athletes."

The study found that athletes of different ages have different attitudes to injuries. Scientists have paid special attention to how many athletes can hide their injuries — the phenomenon of dissimulation.

"Young athletes are more likely to hide their injuries, wanting to participate in training and competitions. Adult athletes are less susceptible to this, but they often ignore the symptoms, especially during high—status competitions," emphasizes Alla Lysenko.

At the same time, the problem is considered more broadly than in traditional research.

"We study dissimulation in the context of its impact on the quality of life and the prospects for achieving active longevity. This problem has hardly been studied from such a perspective," notes Alla Lysenko.

The study showed that a significant part of the injuries are related to previously damaged areas of the body, which indicates incomplete recovery and premature return to exercise. The desire to return to the training process as soon as possible often leads to an aggravation of the condition and increases the risk of repeated injuries.

There is also a lack of awareness among young athletes about the factors that increase the risk of injury. Among them, for example, the level of physical fitness, the quality of warm-up, psychological state, recovery mode, training conditions and features of competitive load.

The influence of psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, temperament and emotional stress is also noted.

Thus, researchers have found that in the pre-competition period, athletes experience a deterioration in their physical, emotional, and social health, which can increase the likelihood of injury and reduce their quality of life.

The results showed that an inadequate attitude to injuries and the desire to quickly return to sports without a full recovery can negatively affect the professional longevity of athletes, as well as lead to long-term health consequences.

"In addition to the direct impact of sports injury on the quality and duration of a sports career, the "delayed" consequences determine the quality of life in old age and senility: forced inactivity, sensory and cognitive impairments, and many others," comments Alla Lysenko.

The authors consider the introduction of modern technologies for monitoring the condition of athletes as one of the promising areas.

"For a long time we have been studying the effectiveness of computer stabilometry in monitoring physical fitness, forecasting and optimizing adaptation to physical and psycho-emotional stress of athletes. Positive results have been obtained, indicating the significant effectiveness of using stabilometric simulators in the prevention and correction of the negative effects of sports injuries on the body," explains Alla Lysenko.

According to scientists, an important direction is the formation of athletes' conscious attitude to injuries, the development of psychological stability and the introduction of comprehensive prevention programs. The research also has a great scientific foundation: the development of roadmaps for improving quality and increasing life expectancy for representatives of various age and professional groups, including highly qualified athletes. This would reduce injury rates, improve recovery efficiency, and preserve quality of life. Work is already underway in this area at SFedU, in particular, a master's degree program is being developed aimed at training specialists in the field of quality of life management and longevity technologies.