Beach handball is safer than indoor team handball: injury rates during the 2017 European Beach Handball Championships

Abstract

Purpose: Beach handball is a relatively new type of sports, which was derived from team handball. Medical issues such as frequency and severity of injury are yet unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the injury pattern and injury rates of this new type of sports.

Methods: This study investigated the injury incidence of 30 national teams (10 senior and 20 u-17 teams, 16 men's and 14 women's teams) participating in the 2017 European Beach Handball Championships. Reports on injuries sustained during the senior and u-17 youth tournaments were provided by the medical staff of each team. Injury incidence was differentiated between age and sex, and between the five field positions (goalkeeper, wing, central defender, pivot, and specialist).

Results: During the tournaments, 87 injuries were recorded yielding an overall injury incidence of 286.1 per 1000 match hours. Time-loss due to injury was 49.3 per 1000 match hours. Senior players had a higher overall injury incidence with 395.3 injuries than u-17 players with 205.7 injuries per 1000 h match hours (p < 0.01). Comparison of the injury incidence between the two sexes showed 330.23 injuries per 1000 h handball exposure for male players and 234.9 injuries for female players (n.s.). The most frequent injury type was sprains (21 injuries, 24.1%) followed by contusions (19 injuries, 21.8%) and skin abrasions with (15 injuries, 17.2%). Central defenders and specialists had the highest injury incidence. Thighs, ankles, as well as foot and toes (altogether 12 injuries, all 13.8%) were the three most frequently injured anatomic sites.

Conclusions: Beach handball seems to have a lower incidence of time-loss injuries than that reported for indoor team handball. This study is an important basis for developing injury prevention strategies in this sports that should focus on thighs, ankles, feet and toes. Further research into this new type of sports is essential to identify risk factors and to develop adequate injury prevention measures.

Level of evidence: II.

Keywords: Beach; Beach handball; Championship; EHF; European; Handball; Injury; Sand; Team handball.