Injuries In Handball Research Articles

Feasibility of Injury Reporting Via Text Messaging in Club Sport Settings: A Prospective Cohort Study

A novel technique of short message service (SMS), or text message, has examined injuries in elite handball and female football and community Australian football with a response rate of over 75%. The purpose of this study was to determine if text message is a feasible method of prospectively collecting injury density data in club sports teams in the United States. Participants received a weekly text message with four questions asking about pain and participation in the past week. If the participant indicated pain in the past week, a follow-up phone interview was conducted to determine the nature of the pain/injury. The overall text message response rate was 89.8%; there were 281 responses out of 313 participant contacts over the 12-week study period. Semi-structured follow-up phone interviews were completed for 37 of the 55 reports of pain that were indicated through text message response, resulting in further injury information for 65.5% of injuries. Incidence density of reporting pain over the 12-week study was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.68–1.15) per 1,000 min of activity. In this sample, text message response rates were similar to previous studies; however, we did lose nine (25.7%) participants to follow-up.

Traumatic injuries to the hand and wrist in youth elite handball aremost frequently localised to the thumb and proximal interphalangeal joints.

Hand and wrist injuries have been described as the second most common severe injuries in handball. However, no evidence exists regarding the specific characteristics of these injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the injury pattern of hand and wrist injuries in youth handball. Two-hundred and ninety-six adolescent elite handball players (mean age: 14.0 ± 0.8 years) completed a retrospective survey regarding their hand and wrist injuries during the previous season. The injury questionnaire was adapted from sports-specific questionnaires to the demands of hand and wrist injuries in handball and included injury location, type of injury and injury severity. One-hundred and twenty-three (42 %) players reported 156 injuries (0.53 injuries per season per player) to their hands or wrists in the past season. Injuries to the proximal interphalangeal joints were most frequently described (n = 74, 47 %). The thumb was involved in 46 (29 %) cases. Sprains (n = 113, 72 %) were the most common type of injury. Thirty-six percent of moderate and severe injuries (> 7 days time loss) had not been treated by a physician. The rates of hand and wrist injuries are high in youth elite handball. Injury prevention strategies and return to competition criteria should focus on the thumb and the interphalangeal joints. Further research into these injuries is essential to identify risk factors and to develop adequate injury prevention measures.

Sports Imaging of Team Handball Injuries.

Team handball is a fast high-scoring indoor contact sport with > 20 million registered players who are organized in > 150 federations worldwide. The combination of complex and unique biomechanics of handball throwing, permitted body tackles and blocks, and illegal fouls contribute to team handball ranging among the four athletic sports that carry the highest risks of injury. The categories include a broad range of acute and overuse injuries that most commonly occur in the shoulder, knee, and ankle. In concert with sports medicine, physicians, surgeons, physical therapists, and radiologists consult in the care of handball players through the appropriate use and expert interpretations of radiography, ultrasonography, CT, and MRI studies to facilitate diagnosis, characterization, and healing of a broad spectrum of acute, complex, concomitant, chronic, and overuse injuries. This article is based on published data and the author team's cumulative experience in playing and caring for handball players in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. The article reviews and illustrates the spectrum of common handball injuries and highlights the contributions of sports imaging for diagnosis and management.

Injury Profile of Male and Female Senior and Youth Handball Players: A Systematic Review.

Handball is a team sport in which players are exposed to high physical conditioning requirements and several contacts and collisions, so they must face various musculoskeletal injuries throughout their career. The aim of this study was to summarize the characteristics of handball injuries both in training and in competition contexts, differentiating by gender and age. A systematic review was conducted and a total of 15 studies (33 cohorts) met the inclusion criteria. Higher injury incidence was reported during matches compared to training sessions in all groups (i.e., male and female senior and youth players), with male senior players presenting the greatest values. Lower extremities were more frequently injured, being contusions and sprains the most common type of injuries. Females reported more serious injuries than males, who presented a higher percentage of acute injuries caused by direct contact, while in female players these injuries were not caused by direct contact actions. Wings and backs presented the highest injury incidence; additionally, players registered higher match incidence during international championships compared to national leagues. Due to the differences in the injury profile of handball players, specific preventive strategies should be implemented for each group to optimize the injury prevention process.

Attitudes, beliefs, and behavior toward shoulder injury prevention in elite handball: Fertile ground for implementation.

We aimed to examine attitudes, beliefs, and current behavior toward risk factors and prevention of shoulder injuries, and to investigate the application of an exercise program during a cluster-randomized controlled trial aiming to prevent shoulder injuries in elite handball. All captains and coaches of 44 elite handball teams (22 male and 22 female) constituting the intervention (21 teams) and control arm (n=23 teams) in the trial were invited to take part in a survey. A questionnaire, based on the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework, addressing the end user perspective on risk factors and prevention of shoulder injuries, as well as key issues related to the application of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Shoulder Injury Prevention Programme, was distributed using electronic survey software. The response rate was 100%. Overall, the majority of coaches (84%) and captains (89%) believed that handball players are at high risk for shoulder injuries. All delivery agents in the trial reported to be familiar with the exercise program and the majority believed in a preventative effect (coaches 90% and captains 81%). Only a minority reported full compliance with the recommended frequency (coaches 29%, captains 14%), with program being too time-consuming (coaches 67%, captains 81%) and lack of player motivation (coaches 76%, captains 62%) as the main barriers. Our results suggest that there is fertile ground for implementation of the OSTRC Shoulder Injury Prevention Programme in elite handball, with program length and lack of player motivation as the main barriers to overcome.

A retrospective study of mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in high school basketball, handball, judo, soccer, and volleyball.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mechanism of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among male and female high school students across several different sports to understand ACL injury trends.A total of 1000 cases involving high school students who suffered ACL injuries during school activities (soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, and judo) and who received insurance benefits through the Injury and Accident Mutual Aid Benefit System, were included to clarify the various mechanisms of ACL injuries. The mechanism of ACL injury was divided into contact and non-contact injuries. Contact injuries were further divided into direct and indirect contact injuries. Non-contact ACL injuries were also further divided into landing injuries, which involved jump-landing movements, and cutting and stopping injuries, which involved movement with a change of direction and deceleration.Overall, 99.0% of judo ACL injuries were categorized as contact ACL injuries. With regards to ball sports, the number of non-contact ACL injuries among basketball, volleyball, and handball players was significantly higher than the number of contact injuries (67.0%, 86.5%, and 68.5% respectively). With regards to female soccer and basketball players, the number of indirect ACL injuries was higher than direct injuries (72.2% and 76.7%, respectively).Volleyball was associated with a higher rate of non-contact injuries. Soccer, basketball, and handball were associated with more or similar rates of indirect and non-contact injuries than direct injuries. Judo was associated with a higher rate of contact injuries.

Facial Injuries in Handball: A Survey of Handball Coaches.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of facial trauma in handball players in South Korea.Forty-one handball coaches responded to an 11-item standardized questionnaire. Twenty-three coaches (56.1%) stated that their players had experienced a facial injury and reported 56 patients.The nose was the most common site of the injuries (51.7%), followed by the eye (19.6%) and cheek (12.5%). The most common causes of nose injuries were being hit by a hand (26.8%), elbow (12.5%), and ball (8.9%). Most of the nose injuries were fractures (41.1%). The most common causes of the injuries were being hit by a hand (37.5%), elbow (30.3%), and ball (16.1%). The most common type of facial injury was fracture (41.1%), followed by contusion (26.8%), and laceration (21.4%). The most common position of the player was pivot (25.0%), followed by center back (21.4%), and right back (19.6%). Among the facial injuries experienced by pivots, the nose (12.5%) was the most common site, followed by the eye (8.9%). The most common causes of the injuries in pivots were being hit by a hand (12.5%) and an elbow (12.5%). The mean convalescence period after the facial injuries was 3.2 ± 1.6 weeks. No respondents stated that their players wore a mouthguard.Team doctors should be aware of the high frequency of nasal bone fractures and prepare for them. A suture set should be prepared for lacerations. If a player is hit in the eye by a ball, the possibility of retinal injury should be considered.

Funktionelle Kniestabilität im Handball: Ein unverzichtbares Kriterium für sicheren Sport

Various studies in recent years have shown that, within ball sports, handball players have a high risk of accidents and injuries. The knee joint is the most frequently injured body region, and ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament the most common injury to the knee. To prevent consequential damage or recurrent knee injury, good functional stability of the knee is of high importance. Stability not only prevents injuries, but is also crucial for optimising handball-specific movements. Although there are numerous studies on injuries in handball - mostly performed on professional athletes - the field of research focusing on functional knee stability is deficient. This article provides an overview of the current state of research and discusses existing prevention approaches.

Prevention of shoulder and elbow injury in handball

Prevention of shoulder and elbow injury in handball

Age, player position and 2 min suspensions were associated with match injuries during the 2017 Men’s Handball World Championship (France)

AimTo study the association between player characteristics, technical components of the game and the risk of match injuries during the 2017 Men’s Handball World Championship.MethodsTeam physicians of the participating teams...

Video analysis of acute injuries and referee decisions during the 24th Men's Handball World Championship 2015 in Qatar

Although handball is a contact sport with a high risk of acute match injuries, their mechanisms have not yet been investigated. We aimed to describe the mechanisms of acute match injuries in elite male handball and evaluate referee performance in injury situations. Based on injury surveillance from the 24th Men's Handball World Championship 2015 in Qatar, injury situations and the referee decisions were identified on video footage. A total of 55 injury situations and 37 referee decisions were included for analysis. The injury situations were analyzed individually by five handball experts, followed by a consensus meeting. An expert referee panel performed individual blinded evaluation of the referee decisions, followed by an online consensus meeting. Injuries were evenly distributed among attackers (n=29) and defenders (n=26). The most frequent injury cause was contact trauma due to a tackle (n=27). At the time of injury, attackers were most frequently performing a jump shot (n=9), while defenders were completing a tackle (n=10). Defenders most commonly tackled the throwing arm (n=7) or toward the head/face region (n=6) of injured attackers, while attackers most frequently hit injured defenders with the knee during jump shots (n=5). Agreement between the referees and the expert panel was weak (kappa: 0.22, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.36), with substantially more lenient rule interpretation by the referees. Our results suggest that stricter refereeing and rule amendments should be considered to prevent acute match injuries in elite handball, especially in relation to tackling episodes when an attacker is performing a jump shot.

Increased injury rates after the restructure of Germany's national second league of team handball.

Scientific injury data in men's professional team handball injuries are rare and even less scientific information exists on injury prevention. In 2011, Germany's national second team handball league was restructured by merging the existing two regional leagues into one league. This study evaluates the injury patterns in professional team handball and compares the injury rates between the first and second league before and after the restructure. All players of Germany's national first and second men's team handball leagues have mandatory trauma insurance with the same insurance company. This retrospective cohort study analysed the injury data of three consecutive seasons 2010-2013 using standardized injury definitions. 1194 professional team handball players were included in this study. The majority of severe injuries affected the lower extremities, shoulders, and hands. The average injury incidence significantly differed between the first (4.9 injuries per 1000h) and the second league (3.9 per 1000h, p < 0.01). The injury incidence in the restructured second league had increased from 3.7 to 4.1 per 1000h (p < 0.01) and prevalence from 67.1 to 79.3% (p < 0.001), thus almost to the same levels of the first league. The second league showed more time-loss injuries at all severity levels. This study yielded a high injury incidence after the restructure of the national second team handball league and presents details on prevalence, incidence, and patterns of injury in professional men's team handball. This study is an important basis for developing injury prevention strategies that should focus on the shoulders, hands, and lower extremities and on reducing the number of matches and travel burden. III.

Sport Injuries and Preventive Measures in Handball / Rankininkų patiriamos traumos ir naudojamos prevencinės priemonės

The aim of the study is to define the opinion of handball coaches, team players and physiotherapists on the most common injuries and their causes in handball. Research object: sport injuries and their risk factors. Research methods: analysis of literature, questionnaire “Injury prevention in handball”, quantitative data analysis chi-square (χ2) p < 0.005. The study used an international questionnaire on “Injury Prevention in the Handball” (www.safetysport.eu). The questionnaire was translated into Lithuanian, a pilot study was carried out and a questionnaire adjusted. The questionnaire is for handball coaches, athletes and physiotherapists. A total of 348 questionnaires were sent to team players, 112 of them answered (men/women). 38 handball coaches were asked to fill out their questionnaire, 21 coaches answered and 7 physiotherapists. Respondents (athletes and coaches) are playing in the highest and student leagues. Injuries in handball are associated with poor physical preparation, and it‘s noted that the lower limb injuries mainly related to non-contact situations. The head, hands, knees, ankle injuries identified as the most common injuries in handball. Incidence rate of injuries by men 50% and women 60% among handball players, but mostly there were affected lower limbs. By playing positions, the wing players affected ankle, knee and hand injuries, which is caused by jumping, landing or contact situation. Most injuries affect knees and ankle of the backcourt players, which happens in jumping, deceptive movements, running, and contact situations. The pivot players get head and knees injuries when they rotating or in contact situations with other players, as goalkeepers get lower limbs injuries after jumping, landing movements. The study of various sports athletes has shown that taller athletes are more likely to be injured than shorter athletes. Physical fatigue may be associated with decreased neuromuscular and sensory control, which may result in lower limb injury. The analysis of literature and questionnaire data of handball coaches and athletes experience showed that the most sensitive part of the body for injury in handball are lower limbs. Mostly affected parts are knees, ankles, fingers. Respondents indicated the most important causes of injuries are inappropriate warm-up, contact situations, poor physical condition, previous and accidental injuries. Keywords: injury, preventative measures, handball. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/sm.2017.29

VIDEO-ANALYSIS OF MODERATE AND SEVERE MATCH INJURIES IN GERMAN MEN'S PROFESSIONAL HANDBALL

BackgroundThere is little knowledge about the causes of injuries in men's professional handball, in particular with a view to the specificity of regular league play.ObjectiveTo identify and describe typical injury...

Injuries in elite athletes of beach handball

Beach handball is a growing sport without available scientific data on the type of injuries that occur. The aim of this study is to record the incidence rate, type and severity of injuries in this sport. During the finals of the European Beach Tour 2014, 122 beach handball players completed a self – report questionnaire about the injuries they had sustained during the previous 24 months. The injury incidence rate for male and female was 12/1000h and 11.36/1000h respectively during games, and 1.8/1000h and 4/1000h during training accordingly. Muscle strains were the most common type of injury, while the majority of injuries affected the knee. The return to sports period was within 2 weeks from injury for 62% of male and 64.5% of female athletes. Statistical analysis could not correlate the incidence or severity of injuries in beach handball to any of the analyzed variables. This study showed that injuries in beach handball are similar to team handball, rather than to other “sand” sports.

Association between Lower Extremity Muscle Strength and Noncontact ACL Injuries.

This study aimed to prospectively investigate the association between isolated and functional lower extremity muscle strength and the risk for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in Norwegian female elite handball and football players. From 2007 through 2015, premier league players participated in strength testing and were prospectively followed for ACL injury risk. At baseline, we recorded player demographics, playing and ACL injury history, and measured peak concentric isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring torques (60°·s), hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio, isometric hip abduction strength, and one-repetition maximum in a seated leg press. We followed a predefined statistical protocol where we generated five separate logistic regression models, one for each of the proposed strength risk factors and adjusted for confounding factors. New ACL injury was the outcome, using the leg as the unit of analysis. A total of 57 (6.6%) of 867 players (age = 21 ± 4 yr, height = 170 ± 6 cm, body mass = 66 ± 8 kg) suffered from a noncontact ACL injury after baseline testing (1.8 ± 1.8 yr). The OR of sustaining a new injury among those with an ACL injury history was 3.1 (95% confidence interval = 1.6-6.1). None of the five strength variables selected were statistically associated with an increased risk of ACL rupture when adjusted for sport, dominant leg, ACL injury history, and height. Peak lower extremity strength was not associated with an increased ACL injury risk among female elite handball and football players. Hence, peak strength, as measured in the present study, cannot be used to screen elite female athletes to predict injury risk.

Strength Training Using Elastic Bands: Improvement of Muscle Power and Throwing Performance in Young Female Handball Players.

Imbalance in shoulder-rotator muscles has been considered a risk factor for injuries in handball. Strength training programs (STPs) may play an important preventive role. To verify the effects of an STP using elastic bands on shoulder muscles and ball-throwing speed. Randomized and prospective controlled trial. Exercise physiology laboratory. Thirty-nine female handball players were randomly assigned to an experimental (EG, n = 21, 15.3 ± 1.1 y) or a control (CG, n = 18, 15.0 ± 0.8 y) group. The EG performed the STP with elastic-band progressive exercises for 6 wk before regular handball training, and the CG underwent only their regular training. Before and after the STP, both groups underwent a ball-throwing-speed test and isokinetic test to assess shoulder internal- (IR) and external-rotator muscle performance. Average power values for IR muscles presented a significant group-vs-time interaction effect (F = 3.9, P = .05); EG presented significantly higher values after the STP (P = .03). Ball speed presented higher values in EG after the STP in standing (P = .04) and jumping (P = .03) throws. IR peak-torque values and balance in shoulder-rotator muscles presented no group-vs-time interaction effect. STP using elastic bands performed for 6 wk was effective to improve muscle power and ball speed for young female handball players.

Incidence and risk factors of injuries in Brazilian elite handball players: A prospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors for handball injuries in Brazilian elite handball players. Overall, 339 athletes from 21 handball teams who participated in the two main Brazilian championships were followed up during a season. In total, 312 injuries were reported by 201 athletes. The injury incidence rate during training was 3.7/1000h, and during matches was 20.3/1000 matches. Ankle (19.4%, n=46) and knee (13.5%, n=32) were the body regions most affected by traumatic injuries. Shoulders (44.0%, n=33) and knee (26.7%, n=20) were the body regions most affected by overuse injuries. Muscle injuries (27.1%, n=68) was the traumatic injury type most reported. Tendinopathy (91.8%, n=56) was the overuse injury type most observed. Previous injury (OR: 2.42, CI 95%: 1.51-3.89) and an additional match per week (OR: 1.31, CI 95%: 1.05-1.62) were associated with a higher risk of overuse injury. Female athletes (OR: 1.56, CI 95%: 1.08-2.25) and an additional hour of training per week (OR: 1.09, CI 95%: 1.02-1.15) were associated with a higher risk of traumatic injury. This study showed that athletes with previous injury have shown a high risk of developing an overuse injury.

Injury and illness surveillance during the 24th Men's Handball World Championship 2015 in Qatar

Background The IOC encourages international federations to establish systematic athlete injury and illness surveillance programmes. Objective To describe pattern of injuries and illnesses during the 24th Men's Handball World Championship...

Injuries and their prevention in the handball game

Sport training involves repeated bouts of exercise and high volume of physically demanding practice sessions and competitive games, which may lead to decline on performance, oxidative stress, and inflammation (Margonis K. et. al., 2007, Finaud J. et. al., 2006) Handball is considered a demanding exercise mode that places important stress on a players aerobic metabolism. In addition, handball game involves a large number of anaerobic actions such as bodycontact, repeated accelerations, sprints, jumps, throwing, blocking, pushing, and rapid changes in moving directions (Ronglan L.T. et. al., 2006, Gorostiaga E.M. et. al., 2006). Studies in elite handball players have focused only on performance parameters like maximal muscle strength, sprint time, and jump height in response to a tournament (Ronglan L.T. et. al., 2006). During a competitive handball season, the demand for playing two games per week elevates the stress imposed to the athletes, thereby increasing the injury risk and performance decline due to fatigue and muscle damage. Most prevalent injuries in handball is today, without any doubt, an extremely traumatic sport and it will be getting even more so with reference to the increase of strength, speed, and rhythm of the game. Numerous injuries which occur during the training process and games do not differ greatly with reference to age and sex (Wedderkopp N. et. al., 1997, Junge A. et. al., 2004).