Are injury rates in female volleyball players age related?

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to record the injury incidence in all age categories of female volleyball players and to clarify the role of age in injury occurrence. The injury incidence rate, severity, diagnosis and the anatomical location of the injuries, which occurred during practice and competition during the championship period, were recorded prospectively during the 2005–2006 period. A total of 689 Greek female volleyball players participating in all volleyball championships in Greece were observed on a weekly basis. The injury incidence rate was recorded as number of injured players and also number of injuries per player-year (total exposure time). No significant differences in injury occurrence rate were observed between the different age categories (youth, junior, senior). Acute injuries were significantly more commonly than overuse syndromes, and the ankle was the most common injured anatomical location. The injury rate in the competitive season was significantly greater than that in the preseason and post-season periods for all the participants. We suggest that any findings in injury occurrence rate must be interpreted in relation to the total exposure time in order to have more realistic conclusions.