The Epidemiology of Volleyball Injuries in Iranian Women's Premier League: One Season in Year 2023 - 2024

Abstract

Background: Understanding the epidemiology of injuries in volleyball is crucial for implementing preventive strategies and tracking long-term trends in their occurrence and nature. To obtain reliable epidemiological data, it is essential to monitor injuries that occur during both training sessions and competitions. Objectives: Recognizing typical injuries in volleyball and analyzing the regions where they frequently occur among volleyball players. Methods: The epidemiology of volleyball injuries was studied over one season for 3 women’s premier league teams in 2023 - 2024, consisting of 48 players, via reports from the teams’ athletic trainers or physicians using an injury report form. Teams were selected via convenience sampling. Injury rates per 1,000 athlete-exposures (AEs) were calculated. All descriptive analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software (version 26). Results: Among 48 volleyball players, a total of 11,616 hours of athlete exposure were recorded during training, while 1,854 hours were noted for competitions. A total of 59 injuries were documented, resulting in an incidence rate of 4.3 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures. The incidence rates were 4.7 for training and 2.1 for matches. The most frequently occurring types of injuries were muscle spasms (28.8%), sprains (16.9%), and tendonitis (15.2%). Injuries during the first half of the season (44%) were more prevalent than those in the preseason (22%) and the second half of the season (33.8%). Acute injuries accounted for approximately 67.7%, while chronic injuries made up 32.2%. The predominant mechanism of injury was non-contact, representing 66.1% of cases. The lumbar spine (18.6%), shoulder (16.9%), and shin (13.5%) were the body parts most commonly affected. Conclusions: The shoulder, lumbar spine, and shin incurred most of the injuries. Muscle spasm, sprain, and tendonitis were the injury types that occurred most frequently. Preventive measures should be considered for the shoulder and lumbar spine in women’s volleyball players after considering the injury mechanisms. Further study is needed in women’s volleyball players in a larger population and with more supervision on injury mechanisms as well.