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Affiliation
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Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, CEU-San Pablo University, Madrid, Spain. |
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Abstract
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CONTEXT: Prevalence studies have been widely carried out on elite volleyball players. However, the extent to which specific prevention strategies are used or the influence of the sport equipment on the occurrence of injuries have been sparsely investigated.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of injuries sustained during one season in elite Spanish volleyball leagues, and to investigate the association of injuries with multiple factors such as player court position, injury mechanism, type of shoes used when playing or participation in prevention activities.
DESIGN: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Epidemiology Study: Observational study. SETTING: European elite professional volleyball. PARTICIPANTS: Professional volleyball players from the elite Spanish volleyball. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A self-report questionnaire assessed injury presence during a volleyball season. Questions included the type of injury, its anatomical location, participation in prevention strategies, the shoe type, the injury mechanism, the season period, the period of leave and the treatment received.
RESULTS: Four hundred and ninety players (71.2% response rate) completed and returned the questionnaire. The injury prevalence was 66.9% and the average of injuries per player was 0.94±0.85 (range: 0-4). Most Spanish elite volleyball players participated in prevention programs during the season (90.3%) and played volleyball with low-top shoes (83.6%), but these factors were not associated with the prevalence of injuries (p>.05). The anatomical regions with the most injuries were the ankle, knee and shoulder, and the most common types of injury were sprains, tendinopathies and strains, usually occurring during blocking and attack actions during the in season period.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite most of elite volleyball players participating in prevention programs, the results reveal a high injury prevalence. Further prospective research on the effectiveness of prevention strategies in elite volleyball is needed.
Language: en |