Injuries associated with Japanese high-school men's volleyball: a two-year survey and analysis.
Nobuhide Azuma, Tomonari Sugano, Itsuroh Shimizu and 1 others
PMID 31528004WHAT IT FOUND
High school male volleyball players had 68 injuries over two years.
For every 1,000 hours of training or match play, there were 1.51 injuries. Ankle injuries were most common. Gradual-onset disorders were more frequent in training, and sudden trauma was more frequent during matches.
Key findings
01There were 68 injuries, with an incidence of 1.51 per 1,000 player-hours.
02The ankle joint was the most common injury site, with 14 cases (20.6%), followed by the fingers/thumb and knees.
03Disorders were more common during training, and trauma was more common during matches.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study followed only one high-school men's volleyball team, so the injury pattern may differ for women, younger or older players, other competition levels, positions, or training environments. Only 36 players were included over the 2-year period, so the results may not represent larger volleyball populations. The injury definition required missing training or matches for at least 1 day, so milder injuries may not be included. The authors did not test the suggested prevention measures, and they state that the effects of taping, braces, technique training, and other measures in volleyball have not been established.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial conflicts of interest and received no funding for the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that ankle braces, taping, balance-board training, or technique changes prevent volleyball injuries. This paper only counted injuries and their timing. It did not test any prevention programme, and the authors state the effects of these measures in volleyball have not been established.