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Published on: May 26, 2020
Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Beach Volleyball
Rishi Trikha1, Luis Ornelas1, Christian L Blough1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Background:
Beach volleyball is a globally popular sport that places unique biomechanical and tactical demands on athletes. Although there is some literature on the epidemiology of indoor volleyball injuries, the injury patterns associated with beach volleyball remain comparatively understudied.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
The purpose of this study was to characterize the epidemiology, mechanisms, and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries sustained by beach volleyball athletes. The authors hypothesized that knee and shoulder injuries would represent the most common injury locations and that the mechanisms of injury would differ from those reported in indoor volleyball.
Study Design:
Case series; Level of evidence, 4.
Methods:
A retrospective cross-sectional case series was performed utilizing an institutional electronic medical record and internal search engine from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2025. Patient characteristics, anatomic injury location, mechanism of injury and treatment characteristics were analyzed. Injury distributions were compared between male and female athletes. Continuous variables are summarized using means and standard deviations. Categorical variables are summarized using counts and percentages.
Results:
A total of 175 injuries sustained in 160 patients were included in this study. Of these injuries, 102 (58.3%) occurred in male cases and 73 (41.7%) in female cases (P = .63). The most common injury locations were the knee (74; 42.3%), wrist/hand (29; 16.6%), and shoulder (25; 14.3%). The distribution of injuries by anatomic location did not differ significantly between male and female athletes in any anatomic location. The most common mechanism among all injuries was a noncontact twisting knee event while pursuing the ball (26.5%), followed by overuse injuries (16.2%), ball contact while blocking or spiking (16.2%), and landing from a jump (14.5%). Among injuries with available treatment data, 59 of 168 (35.1%) required surgical intervention, the most common of which were anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (n = 21) and meniscal surgeries (n = 18).
Conclusion:
Our study demonstrated that knee injuries were the most common injuries sustained by beach volleyball players. Acute injuries frequently occurred while pursuing the ball, highlighting the unique movement and court coverage demands of beach volleyball. These findings contribute to the limited epidemiological literature on beach volleyball injuries and have the potential to guide future injury prevention strategies.
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