Injuries in Wheelchair Basketball Players: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Epidemiology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Sports injuries significantly impact athletic performance, encompassing both physical and psychological dimensions.
• Existing data on wheelchair basketball injuries lack detailed descriptions of injury location, mechanisms, and risk factors.
• Variations in injury definitions and reporting hinder a comprehensive understanding of the injury landscape in wheelchair basketball.

Purpose of the Study:

• To ascertain epidemiological data concerning injuries in wheelchair basketball.
• To characterize primary injury attributes and identify commonly affected body regions in wheelchair basketball athletes.
• To provide a clearer picture of injury patterns for improved athlete care and training protocols.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted across major scientific databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies detailing sports injuries in wheelchair basketball.
• Data extraction prioritized injury location, type, and affected body segments.

Main Results:

• The review identified and analyzed eight relevant studies on wheelchair basketball injuries.
• The shoulder emerged as the most frequently injured body region (22.1%).
• Upper limbs were the most affected body segment (47.2%), followed by the head/face (19.5%), trunk (17.8%), and lower limbs (15.5%).

Conclusions:

• Wheelchair basketball players sustain a high incidence of injuries with diverse characteristics.
• Injury patterns are predominantly associated with the sport's biomechanics and inherent demands.
• Findings can inform coaches on optimizing training to mitigate recurrent injuries and guide medical teams in event management.