Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
Importance of Jumping Ability in Handball Throwing Speed and Accuracy
Published on: April 4, 2025
Preseason Strength Assessment of the Rotator Muscles and Shoulder Injury in Handball Players
Bénédicte Forthomme1, Jean-Louis Croisier1, François Delvaux1
1Department of Sport and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Liege and University Hospital Centre of Liege, Belgium.
Context:
Few researchers have identified intrinsic risk factors for shoulder injury in team handball players by analyzing measurements of maximal isokinetic rotator muscle strength.
Objective:
To identify possible intrinsic risk factors for shoulder injury by analyzing measurements of maximal isokinetic rotator muscle strength.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Male team handball senior divisions (the highest level) in France and Belgium.
Patients Or Other Participants:
A total of 108 male high-level handball players (age = 24 ± 4 years, height = 189 ± 6 cm, mass = 87 ± 11 kg) were enrolled.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
All players completed a preseason questionnaire and performed a bilateral isokinetic assessment of the shoulder rotator muscles. On a monthly questionnaire, players reported any shoulder injury that they sustained during the season.
Results:
On the preseason questionnaire, 51 of 108 (47%) participants reported a history of dominant-shoulder injury. A total of 106 participants completed the in-season questionnaire, with 22% (n = 23) reporting a shoulder injury on their dominant side during the subsequent season. Fourteen percent (n = 15) sustained microtraumatic injuries, and 8% (n = 8) described a traumatic injury. Backcourt players had a 3.5-times increased risk of injury during the new season compared with players in other positions. Among the isokinetic results, no risk factor for further injury was identified in handball players with microtraumatic injuries. For traumatic injuries, the concentric maximal strength developed by the internal rotators at high speed (240°/s) in the dominant shoulder was a protective factor against the risk of further injury.
Conclusions:
These results can potentially identify intrinsic risk factors for shoulder injury and may be used to determine potential interventions for reducing this risk in handball players.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Muscles of the Shoulder
Anterior Thoracic Muscles
The anterior thoracic muscles include the serratus anterior, subclavius, and...
03:05Acid Strength and Molecular Structure
In the absence of any leveling effect, the acid strength of binary compounds of hydrogen with nonmetals (A) increases as the H-A bond strength decreases down a group in the periodic table. For group 17, the order of increasing acidity is HF < HCl < HBr < HI. Likewise, for group 16, the order of increasing acid strength is H2O < H2S < H2Se < H2Te. Across a row in the periodic table, the acid strength of binary hydrogen compounds increases with increasing...
01:20Strength of Cement
For compressive strength tests, ASTM C 109-05 standards prescribe a cement-sand mix ratio of 1:2.75 and a water/cement ratio of 0.485 for making 2-inch cubes. These cubes are mixed, cast, and cured in saturated lime water at 23°C until testing. Flexural strength testing, outlined in...
01:30Relation Between Tensile Strength and Compressive Strength of Concrete
02:18The Equilibrium Binding Constant and Binding Strength
01:29Strength and Heat of Hydration
The heat of hydration for each cement compound is significant; for instance, tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and...