Profile of injuries in wheelchair basketball athletes in Greece

Introduction: Wheelchair basketball is one of the most spectacular and popular sports of Paralympic Games. However, few studies have information about injury patterns and risk factors in athletes with disabilities.

Aim: The aim of this study was to record injuries in athletes with physical disabilities who participated in the 22nd Panhellenic Wheelchair Basketball Championship during the 2019 season and to investigate the the causative factors of injuries.

Material and Μethod: The sample of the research consisted of 42 elite wheelchair basketball players with a mean age of (SD=36±1.69 years) and average years of participating in international competitions (SD=7,93±1.63years). As a measuring instrument was used a structured and appropriately adapted questionnaire injuries for wheelchair athletes by Malliou et al. (2007). The anonymous questionnaires were distributed to athletes during the week of competition.

Results: The results of the research showed that 57.1% of all athletes reported musculoskeletal injuries. The majority of injuries were acute at 62.5%, while overuse injuries were at 37.5%. Most injuries occurred in the anatomical area of the shoulder, followed by the wrist/fingers, elbow and with the smallest percentage the waist.The most common overuse injuries were tendinopathy/tendonitis while the most common acute were muscle injuries (sprains, strains). The main causative factors of injuries were due to bad technique, due to overuse, direct contact or impact from an opposing player and due to insufficient warm-up. The majority of athletes were absent from training for 8-28 days due to the severity of their injuries. Conclusions: The results of the present study, identifying the causes and mechanisms of sports injuries will help coaches and physiotherapists to develop appropriate preventative measures and rehabilitation programs with the ultimate goal of reducing the incidence of injuries and better performance of athletes in wheelchair basketball.

 

Category: Volume 62, Issue 1
Hits: 316 Hits
Created Date: 26-05-2023
Authors: Anastasia Kagiaoglou , Paraskevi Malliou , Anastasia Beneka , Asimenia Gioftsidou