Prevalence of injuries and functional assessment of college athletes
Abstract
Introduction: Sports injuries in university athletes can significantly impact athletic performance and quality of life in young individuals, representing a persistent health issue that requires professional attention. Objective: To assess the injury profile and functional performance of university basketball, volleyball, and handball athletes. Materials and Methods: Forty-six university athletes were evaluated through a self-administered questionnaire. Functional assessments included the Lunge Test, Y Balance Test, and Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST). Results: The prevalence of injuries in the past 12 months was 43.5%, with over 50% resulting from contact with another athlete. Lower limbs were more commonly affected in basketball and volleyball. In the Lunge Test, results ranged from 40° to 41.8° for the Dominant Limb (DL) (p>0.05). In the Y Test, the composite score ranged from 95% to 102% when assessing the DL (p>0.05). In the CKCUEST, the average number of touches was 27.2 to 27.4 (p>0.05). Conclusion: Among the evaluated athletes, there was a prevalence of lower limb injuries in basketball and volleyball, with contact being the most frequent mechanism of injury. According to the applied tests and based on literature references, there is possibly no increased risk of injury.
References
-Bittencourt, N.F.N.; Meeuwisse, W.H.; Mendonça, L.D.; Nettel-Aguirre, A.; Ocarino, J.M.; Fonseca, S.T. Complex systems approach for sports injuries: moving from risk factor identification to injury pattern recognition-narrative review and new concept. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Vol. 50. Num. 21. 2016. p. 1309-1314.
-Borms, D.; Cools, A. Upper-extremity functional performance tests: reference values for overhead athletes. International Journal of Sports Medicine. Vol. 39. Num. 06. 2018. p. 433-441.
-Cools, A.M.; Johansson, F.R.; Borms, D.; Maenhout, A. Prevention of shoulder injuries in overhead athletes: a science-based approach. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy. Vol. 19. Num. 5. 2015. p. 331-339.
-Clanton, T.O.; Matheny, L.M.; Jarvis, H.C.; Jeronimus, A.B. Return to play in athletes following ankle injuries. Sports Health. Vol. 4. Num. 6. 2012. p. 471-474.
-Coughlan, G.F.; Fullam, K.; Delahunt, E.; Gissane, C.; Caulfield, B.M.; Sci, M. A comparison between performance on selected directions of the Star Excursion Balance Test and the Y Balance Test. Journal of Athletic Training. Vol. 47. Num. 4. 2012. p. 366-371.
-Dick, R.; Hertel, J.; Agel, J.; Grossman, J.; Marshall, S.W. Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate men’s basketball injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004. Journal of Athletic Training. Vol. 42. Num. 2. 2007. p. 194-201.
-Emery, C.A.; Pasanen, K. Current trends in sport injury prevention. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology. Vol. 33. Num. 1. 2019. p.3-15.
-Fong, D.T.P.; Hong, Y.; Chan, L.K.; Yung, P.S.H.; Chan, K.M. A systematic review on ankle injury and ankle sprain in sports. Sports Medicine. Vol. 37. Num. 1. 2007. p. 73-94.
-Hall, E.A.; Docherty, C.L. Validity of clinical outcome measures to evaluate ankle range of motion during the weight-bearing lunge test. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Vol. 20. Num. 7. 2017. p. 618-621.
-Hrysomallis, C. Relationship between balance ability, training and sports injury risk. Sports Medicine. Vol. 37. Num. 6. 2007. p. 547-556.
-Izaola-Azkona, L.; Vicenzino, B.; Olabarrieta-Eguia, I.; Saez, M.; Lascurain-Aguirrebeña, I. Effectiveness of mobilization of the talus and distal fibula in the management of acute lateral ankle sprain. Physical Therapy. Vol. 101. Num. 8. 2021
-Oliveira, D.E.; Zandonade, L.O.C.; Horita, M.M.; Jorge, P.B. Epidemiological profile of amateur athletes at a medical school in the city of São Paulo. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte. Vol. 29. 2023.
-Plisky, P.J.; Rauh, M.J.; Kaminski, T.W.; Underwood, FB. Star excursion balance test as a predictor of lower extremity injury in high school basketball players. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. Vol. 36. Num. 12. 2006. p. 911-919.
-Spagnuolo, D.L.; Machado, F.A.; Peccin, M.S. Avaliação da simetria e descarga de peso entre os membros inferiores de atletas de futebol da categoria de base. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte. Vol. 19. Num. 6. 2013. p. 442-447.
-Tucci, H.T.; Martins, J.; Sposito, G.C.; Camarini, P.M.F.; Oliveira, A.S. Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability test (CKCUES test): a reliability study in persons with and without shoulder impingement syndrome. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Vol. 15. Num. 1. 2014
Copyright (c) 2025 Murilo Schellin Canez, Gustavo Dias Ferreira, Lisiane Piazza Luza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License BY-NC which allows the sharing of the work with acknowledgment of the authorship of the work and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are authorized to enter into additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, publishing in institutional repository or book chapter), with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and encouraged to post and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their personal page) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this can bring about productive change as well as increase impact and impact. citation of published work (See The Effect of Free Access).
