Prevalence of Upper and Lower Extremity Injuries in Elite Iranian Handball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Upper and lower limb injuries in handball significantly challenge athletes' performance. Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence, type, and location of upper and lower limb injuries in elite male and female Iranian handball players. Methods: This epidemiological study on sports injuries was conducted retrospectively as a cross-sectional study on 276 elite handball players (164 men with a mean age of 25.73 ± 7.77 years, height 181.96 ± 10.14 cm, and weight 84.88 ± 17.39 kg, and 112 women with a mean age of 19.30 ± 4.79 years, height 168.29 ± 5.20 cm, and weight 63.79 ± 9.64 kg). Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the injury report form developed by Fuller et al. to examine the prevalence of injuries among handball players. The study used an independent t-test and chi-square test to compare continuous and categorical variables between genders. Descriptive statistics were also applied, and data analysis was conducted using SPSS software. Results: The findings revealed that 95.65% of handball players reported experiencing serious sports injuries, with men having a higher frequency of prior injuries (46.95%) compared to women (23.21%). Women experienced more contact injuries (51.78%), whereas men had more non-contact injuries (60.36%). Injuries in women occurred more frequently during practice sessions (53.57%), while men sustained more injuries during competitions (49.39%). The majority of injuries in both genders happened without the use of supportive equipment (65.57%). Lower limb injuries were the most common (60.14%), followed by upper limb (30.43%), trunk (25%), and head/face injuries (13.41%). Additionally, the chi-square test showed significant gender differences in injury location (P = 0.022) and experience of serious injuries (P = 0.0001), but no significant differences were found in injury type, timing, or use of supportive equipment. Conclusions: This study revealed that 95.65% of elite Iranian handball players have sustained serious sports injuries. Men experienced more recurrent injuries, while women reported more contact-related injuries. Injuries were more common during practice sessions for women and during competitions for men. The frequent absence of protective equipment highlights the need for effective preventive measures.