Issue image

More articles from Volume 16, Issue 1, 2024

Overview of systematic reviews on the most common sports injuries

Risk factors for shoulder injury in professional male handball players: A systematic review

Sports injuries in athletes with disabilities

Musculoskeletal injuries in bodybuilders: A brief review with an emphasis on injury mechanisms

Discrepancies in the prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of stress fractures between long-distance runners and sprinters: A qualitative review of systematic reviews

Citations

Crossref Logo

2

Crossref Logo

Tina Piil Torabi, Jesper Bencke, Roland van den Tillaar

(2025)

Relationship between Range of Motion and Isometric Shoulder Strength in Elite Team Handball Players

International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 20(4)

10.26603/001c.133546

Crossref Logo

Paulo Victor Partezani Helito, Renata Vidal Leao, Maria Lua Sampaio Gulde, Gazi Huri

(2025)

Imaging in Handball Sports Injuries: A Comprehensive Review Focused on Upper Limb Pathologies

Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology, 29(04)

10.1055/s-0045-1809075

Risk factors for shoulder injury in professional male handball players: A systematic review

Damjan Jakšić Orcid logo ,
Damjan Jakšić

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia

Stefan Maričić Orcid logo ,
Stefan Maričić

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia

Mila Vukadinović Jurišić Orcid logo ,
Mila Vukadinović Jurišić

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia

Marijana Čavala Orcid logo
Marijana Čavala

Editor: Žiga Kozinc

Published: 15.06.2024.

Volume 16, Issue 1 (2024)

pp. 19-30;

https://doi.org/10.31382/eqol.240602

Abstract

Handball is a globally popular and physically demanding sport that requires high-intensity intermittent activities, with a particular emphasis on frequent ball throwing or shooting. The primary aim of this systematic review was to identify the risk factors for shoulder injuries in professional male handball players. The secondary aim is to propose preventive measures for reducing shoulder injuries in professional or elite handball players. This study followed the guidelines provided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were used to identify relevant studies. Only 8 studies met the eligibility requirements and were incorporated into the review. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) was assessed for the methodological quality of studies. Seven of the total eight studies were considered moderate quality, however, only one study was considered low quality. Based on this review findings, the following risk factors for shoulder injury are prominent among professional and elite male handball players. The primary factors for eventual shoulder injury are shoulder muscle imbalances, range of motion (ROM) discrepancies, glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD), and scapular dyskinesis. Also, in one study authors specified player position as a potential risk factor.

Keywords

References

Achenbach, L., Laver, L., Walter, S., Zeman, F., Kuhr, M., & Krutsch, W. (2020). Decreased external rotation strength is a risk factor for overuse shoulder injury in youth elite handball athletes. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 1202–1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-019-05498-y
Andersson, S., Bahr, R., Clarsen, B., & Myklebust, G. (2018). Risk factors for overuse shoulder injuries in a mixed-sex cohort of 329 elite handball players: Previous findings could not be confirmed. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 18, 1191–1198. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098926
Castro, M., Fonseca, P., Morais, S., Borgonovo-Santos, M., Coelho, E., Ribeiro, D., & Vilas-Boas, J. (2019). Functional shoulder ratios with high velocities of shoulder internal rotation are most sensitive to determine shoulder rotation torque imbalance: A cross-sectional study with elite handball players and controls. Sports Biomechanics, 1, 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2017.1380222
Chelly, M., Hermassi, S., Aouadi, R., Khalifa, R., Van Den Tillaar, R., Chamari, K., & Shephard, R. (2011). Match analysis of elite adolescent team handball players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 9, 2410–2417. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fb4573
Clarsen, B., Bahr, R., Andersson, S., Munk, R., & Myklebust, G. (2014). Reduced glenohumeral rotation, external rotation weakness and scapular dyskinesis are risk factors for shoulder injuries among elite male handball players: A prospective cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 17, 1327–1333. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-093702

Citation

Copyright

Article metrics

Google scholar: See link

The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Most read articles