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VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 4 | 2015 |
936
Injuries and pathologies in beach volleyball
players: A systematic review
JOSE MANUEL JIMENEZ-OLMEDO 1 , ALFONSO PENICHET-TOMAS
Department of General and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, Spain
ABSTRACT
Jimenez-Olmedo, J.M., & Penichet-Tomas, A. (2015). Injuries and pathologies in beach volleyball players:
A systematic review. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 10(4), pp.936-948. The aim of this paper is to review the
available literature published on injuries and pathology in beach volleyball. The databases consulted were
the Web of Sciende and Pubmed. After establishing the criteria for selection and filtering, a total of 32
articles were selected. All items found can be classified into four research lines. First are the studies
focused on specific injuries such as shoulder, shoveling, knee and foot. The second line of research
focuses on the study of the incidence, prevalence and frequency of injuries of beach volleyball players,
whereas the third line deals on infections reported in the literature produced by nematodes or fungi. Finally,
the last line of research includes articles addressing different objectives related to health such as the
effects of training programs related to injuries, influence of weather conditions on the players, as well as
publications for validation of assessment instruments or develop of guidelines and protocols for the
evaluation and diagnosis of injuries. Key words: BEACH VOLEYBALL, HEALTH, INJURIES, REVIEW.
1 Corresponding author. University of Alicante, Faculty of Education, Ctra. San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del
Raspeig – Alicante, Spain.
E-mail: j.olmedo@ua.es
Submitted for publication February 2015
Accepted for publication October 2015
JOURNAL OF HUMAN SPORT & EXERCISE ISSN 1988-5202
© Faculty of Education. University of Alicante
doi:10.14198/jhse.2015.104.09
Original Article
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| 2015 | ISSUE 4 | VOLUME 10 © 2015 University of Alicante
INTRODUCTION
Beach volleyball is being studied for researchers and sports professionals from different fields of study.
From the first published work on this sport (Wang, 1996), literature has experienced exponential growth
over the last 20 years, when beach volleyball sport was incorporated to the Olympic program for the 1996
Atlanta.
It should be noted that throughout all this period, different areas of research have been of interest in the
study of this sport. To date, high-impact 104 articles in beach volleyball have been published. These
studies analyzed sport from different perfectives, fields of study or areas of interest, so that they can be
encompassed in seven major blocks:
- Health: study of injuries, treatment and diagnosis. In addition, publications related to the field of
health such as infections, evaluation guides or validation of health protocols in beach volleyball.
- Psychology: behavior-based studies, management of emotional or based on the decision states.
- Performance analysis: Publications related to the study of the actions and patterns of play and the
players themselves, evaluated by different tests or test characteristics.
- Physiology: Publications focused on the physiological response of athletes and their physiological
responses to the playing conditions
- Technology: Publications focused on the use of technology, its implementation in the sport of
beach volleyball as well as the development of new tools for monitoring and evaluation.
- Biomechanics: motion analysis research and its relationship with sport and its specific
characteristics.
- Sociological: development of sociological factors, involving the world of beach volleyball studies.
From the above blocks, special mention must be done for performance analysis and health. Performance
analysis is the most prolific area, with the highest number of collected publications so far. The study and
knowledge of an emerging sport, with professionalization of athletes and the consolidation of competitions
have helped focus deeper into this sport and playing conditions. Therefore, the sport of beach volleyball is
known at a professional level, with focus on the promotion of beginning categories. On the other hand,
health’s block has the second major number of publications. Studies focused on the knowledge of the
prevalence of injuries have been conducted in different time periods with different samples. This has led to
similar results obtained in some respects but differing in others. In addition, the health’s block not only has
focused on the description of the prevalence of injuries, both absolute values or related to playing or
training hours, but also focused on the study and treatment of specific and own injuries.
Due to the interest shown on studies for the prevention, treatment and recovery from injuries to minimize
recovery times and accelerate the return to activity of athletes, it is important to collect literature and
analyse the studies up to the present.
This document provides a review of the scientific literature of beach volleyball sport, specifically in studies
related to the health area, and more specifically to those related to injuries and pathologies that such type
of athletes suffer.
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MATERIAL AND METHODS
The search was performed on the Web of Science and PubMed databases. Inclusion criteria were
published in one of the two databases, focusing to gather injury, illness, treatment and clinical interventions
with players or beach volleyball players of any category. The terms used to search for information were
"beach volleyball *" with a truncation. Besides, searches were filtered as articles only from 1996 to 2015.
RESULTS
The Web of Science search gave 104 articles and 52 articles in PubMed. Of all the items were filtered
accordingly. After making the selection based on the criteria, 32 beach volleyball paper related with injuries
and pathologies was selected.
The articles were categorized into 4 major lines of research, all related to the field of health in beach
volleyball. Specifically, in the first line of research, there are publications dealing with the study of specific
injuries (Table 1). This block contains description and treatment of specific injuries.
Table 1. Articles of specific injuries.
Author
Year
Aim
Sample
Result
Frey,
Andersen &
Feder
1996
Study of 12 cases of
hyperplantaflexion in
professional beach
volley
12 cases
Players with this injury need 6 months of recovery. It mainly
affects the loss of dorsiflexion.
Treatment with anti-inflammatories, ice and rest, along with
a strengthening program.
Reeser,
Verhagen,
Briner,
Askeland &
Bahr
2006
Establish strategies
for preventing
common injuries
-
Establish prevention and recovery strategies and risk
factors for ankle sprains, patellar tendinitis and shoulder
injuries by overuse.
Pfirrmann,
Jost, Pirkl,
Aitzetmuller,
& Lajtai
2008
The purpose was to
assess quadriceps
and patellar
tendinosis in
professional beach
volleyball players and
to correlate
ultrasound findings
with clinical symptoms
202 total
players.
100 male and
102 female
Quadriceps tendinosis was diagnosed in 13 (21%,
dominant leg) / 21 (34%, non-dominant leg), patellar
tendinosis in 13 (21%) / 18 (30%). Thickening and impaired
quadriceps tendon structure is associated with anterior
knee pain in beach volleyball players.
Lajtai et al.
2009
Clinical and imaging
findings in the hitting
shoulders of fully
competitive
professional beach
volleyball players, as
compared with their
non hitting shoulders.
84 professional
players, 54
male y 30
female
The prevalence of infraspinatus muscle atrophy in
professional beach volleyball players is 30%. The typical,
fully competitive player has subjectively unrecognized
decreased strength of external rotation and frequent
unspecific shoulder pain. Therefore, abnormal clinical and
imaging findings in the beach volleyball player should be
interpreted with care.
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Vormittag,
Calonje, &
Briner
2009
Describe the different
injuries practiced
barefoot sports
including beach
volleyball.
-
Ankle sprains are less common in sand. Lacerations and
abrasions in the skin are common foot injuries. It highlights
the "sand toe" as self-injury to players who play sports in
sand.
Frey
2010
Foot and ankle
injuries in American
beach volleyball
players
-
Common foot and ankle injuries include ankle sprains,
Achilles tendinosis, plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis, arch
strain, metatarsophalangeal (MTP) hyperextension, and
MTP hyperflexion injuries. The use of prophylactic ankle
braces is discussed and recommendations made.
Lajtai et al.
2012
Assessment with
surface
electromyography and
nerve conduction
velocity (NCV) to
evaluate the
infraspinatus muscle
atrophy.
35 men
professional
player
Professional beach volleyball players have a high
frequency of infraspinatus atrophy (34%) and significantly
reduced shoulder strength of the hitting shoulder.
Seminati &
Minetti
2013
This review discusses
the prevalence of two
of the most common
overuse-related
injuries in volleyball:
shoulder and
back/spine injuries
Different movements involved in the game (in particular
spiking and serving) together with the anatomy of the
volleyball players concur to the risk factors for overuse
injuries of the shoulder and back/trunk.
Shoulder overuse injuries in our analysis have a higher rate
compared to the back/trunk injuries. However, high
variability among the different studies suggests that
overuse injuries prevalence could be underestimated.
Ottesen,
Barfod, &
Holck
2014
Description of a
patella injury
44 years old
man
Strong and acute pain with inability to extend the knee. I
was diagnosed with the help of X-rays a traumatic
separation type I.
Monteleone
et al.
2014
The purpose of this
study in to identufy
ultrasonographically
the prevalence of
myotendimous
alterations in
profesional Italian
beach volleyball
players.
53 players, 31
female y 22
male
The abnormalities identified ultrasonographically were: 14
cases of calcific tendinopathy, 10 cases of impingement,
17 cases of inflammation of the cuff and 4 cases of rotator
cuff degeneration.
Külling et al.
2014
Prevalence of disc
degeneration and
spondylolysis in the
MRI of the lumbar
spine of profes- sional
beach volleyball
players
29 professional
male beach
volleyball
players
Whereas 86% of players suffered from LBP during their
career, the incidence of LBP (Low Back Pain) in the last 4
weeks was 35%. The most affected spinal levels were L4-5
in 14 (48%) and L5-S1 in 15 players (52%); both levels
were involved in 5 players (17%). Six of 29 (21%) players
showed a spondylolysis grade 4.
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Pieber et al.
2014
The aim of the study
was to examine the
suprascapular nerve
in Austrian high-
performance beach
volleyball players.
18 professionals
male beach
volleyball
No acute or chronic neurogenic changes in the
infraspinatus muscle were seen in any player, although
atrophy of the suprascapularis innervated muscles was
present in five players.
Monteleone,
Gismant,
Stevanato,
& Tiloca
2015
A report of two cases
of grave atrophy of
the deltoid muscle
following painlesss
axillary neuropathy
2 beach
volleyball
players, 1 male
and 1 female
The presence of deltoid atrophy in two of 91 competitive
level beach volleyball athletes, representing a prevalence
of 2.2% occurring from presumed neuropathy of the axillary
nerve. The cases were identified exclusively using physical
examination of the shoulder and the athletes’ medical
history.
The second line of research of this review focuses on publications that address the description, prevalence
and incidence of injuries (Table 2). In this major block, anatomic regions most prone to suffer injury are
presented, together with the reasons that caused them and the relationship between the number of hours,
either training or competition sport, with the number of injuries suffered by players of different categories
and in different competitions.
Table 2. Injuries incidence, prevalence and frequency.
Author
Year
Aim
Sample
Result
Aagaard,
Scavenius,
&
Jorgensen
1997
Comparison of the
prevalence and
incidence of injuries in
indoor volleyball
players and beach
volleyball players
295 players of
season1993-
1994.
Beach volleyball players had an incidence of 4.9 injuries
every 1000h practiced against the 4.2 injuries every 1000h
indoor players. In beach injuries occurred in defence and
attack and the shoulder being the most affected area. The
indoor injuries occurred more in block and spike actions.
The most frequent injuries are on toes and ankle.
Paulseth,
Martinovich,
Scira, &
Sherman
2002
Description between
the association of the
training methods used
and the types and
incidence of injuries in
male players during a
season
103 male
players of AVP
season 1998
They do not set different between ages, years of practice
and incidence of injuries. The most severe injuries in terms
of lost days were ankle, followed by the back and finally the
knee. Recommendations included training techniques.
Bahr &
Reeser
2003
Describe the
incidence and
prevalence of injuries
to players and
professional beach
volleyball players
178 players at
Final of
Worldchampion
ship in 2011
The incidence of lost time injuries was established for
acute injuries in 3.1 hours of competition in 1000 and 0.8
per 1000 hours of training. The incidence of acute injuries
occurred in knee (30%), ankle (17%) and finger injuries
(17%). Overuse injuries were back pain (19%), knee pain
(12%) and problems with the shoulder (10%).
Kugler et al.
2006
The purpose of this
study was to examine
the prevalence of
injury in Beach and
indoor volleyball
players
312 but only
178 players
reported injuries
Register an incidence of 0.08 injuries per year. Most of the
injuries were in knee (20%), ankle (17%), fingers (15%),
shoulder (13.1%) and back pain (5.7%).
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Gámez et
al.
2006
The aim of this work
is an epidemiological
study focused on
players of beach
volleyball and beach
soccer Spain
89 players, 54
beach volleyball
players and 35
beach soccer
players
The ligament and tendon injuries (36%) are most common
in beach volleyball players. The foot and ankle are the
regions that have higher injury rate, mainly skin character.
Zhang & Ge
2008
The aim is to
investigate the
incidence of injuries
beach volleyball
athletes participating
in the 10th Chinese
National Games
96 beach
volleyball
players
They have an injuries incidence of 47.7%. Acute and
chronic injuries are higher than those suffered by athletes
from other countries. Injuries Chinese athletes are mainly
produced in blocking actions.
Junge et al.
2009
To analyse the
frequency,
characteristics, and
causes of injuries
incurred during the
Summer Olympic
Games 2008
96 players
Beach volleyball injuries were 8.3% of total injuries, being
50% of injuries during training and 50% for competition.
Eerkes,
2012
Review the specific
injuries that are most
common as a result of
participating in the
sport of volleyball and
beach volleyball
-
Injuries can occur from frequent jumping as well as from
hitting and blocking the ball. Injuries can be either acute or
repetitive in nature. Injuries typically involve the ankles,
knees, and shoulders.
Engebretse
n et al.
2013
To analyse the
injuries and illnesses
that occurred during
London in 2012.
96 beach
volleyball
players
12 injuries were recorded during the games. 54.5% of them
in competition and 45.5% during workouts.
The next research line is related to infections in beach volleyball (Table 3). Several investigations have
been focused on case studies as a result of infections and diseases caused by nematodes and fungi in the
playing surface where the sport is practiced.
Table 3. Infections in beach volleyball.
Author
Year
Aim
Sample
Result
Aagaard et
al.
1997
Case study of a
nematode infection
called braziliense
Ancylostoma in a
beach volleyball
player
1 player
The case study only observed dermatological disorders. He
was treated with albendazole 400 mg pills twice a day for
five days. After 10 days no sign of infection was revealed.
Winokur &
Dexter
2004
Describe fungal
infections in beach
volleyball players
-
Described fungal infections who tinea corporis, capitis,
cruris, versicolor, and pedis, as well as onychomycosis.
Personal hygiene, monitoring of the skin and avoid sharing
clothing are the best preventive measures.
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Veraldi,
Persico, &
Valsecchi
2011
Descriptive case
study of Tungiasis
infection
1 italian beach
volleyball player
Case of tungiasis in an Italian beach volleyball player
acquired the infestation in Brazil.
Finally, the last line of research shows publications of different topics that can not be encompassed in any
of the above (Table 4). These publications aimed at different objectives with beach volleyball players. The
subject of these publications is from research on the validation of protocols to studies on the environmental
conditions.
Table 4. Other articles related with health in beach volleyball.
Author
Year
Aim
Sample
Result
Martin
1999
Study on
environmental
conditions in the play
area at Atlanta 96.
-
Temperatures were measured in the different areas of
play, including beach volleyball stadium. Also they were
recorded the incidences related to heat stroke and the
influence of environmental conditions on the players
Dickinson &
Hanrahan
2009
This study
investigated the
properties of the
Athens Insomnia
Scale the Fatigue
Severity Scale, and
subscales of the
SLEEP-50 in elite
Australian athletes, to
determine their
appropriateness for
this population.
Rowing (n=8),
netball (n=8),
basketball
(n=19), beach
volleyball (n=8),
and sailing
(n=16) squads.
All scales and subscales showed high internal
consistency. All measurements were significantly
correlated, demonstrating convergent validity.
Panhuyzen-
Goedkoop
& Smeets
2009
Description of a case
of Palpitations and
Presyncope on Effort
1 female player
The ECG demonstrated a saddle back type ST_segment
elevation in right precoridal leads V1-V2, potencially
compatible with type II Brugada syndrome. Moreover,
SCN5A gene analysis was eventually performed and was
negative form mutations compatible with Brugada
syndrome.
Bahr
2009
The aim of this paper
was to provide
recommendations on
how standardised
methodology can be
developed to quantify
overuse injuries in
surveillance studies
using beach volleyball
data
No sample
Four recommendations: The studies should be
prospective, with continuous or serial measurements of
symptoms; valid and sensitive scoring instruments need
to be developed to measure pain and other relevant
symptoms; prevalence and not incidence should be used
to report injury risk; severity should be measured based
on functional level and not time loss from sports.
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(Roald Bahr
& Reeser,
2012)
2012
To monitor heat
stress and record
cases of heat-related
medical forfeits on the
Swatch FIVB Beach
Volleyball World Tour
48 of 51 events
The incidence of significant heat illness among athletes
competing on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour
appears to be quite low, even though weather conditions
frequently result in a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT)
index >32 °C. Currently available guidelines appear to be
inadequate to fully assess the risk of heat stress and too
conservative to inform safety decisions in professional
beach volleyball.
Ruiz et al.
2012
The aim of this
investigation is to
obtain information
about muscle
stiffness, the
mechanic and
contractile properties
of the muscles using
the TMG with high
level beach volleyball
players as well as to
demonstrate the
usefulness of this
method to evaluate
the muscles in charge
of the knee flexion
and extension
14 male players
and 10 female
players in 2009
The data obtained of the subjects in our sample let us
con- firm that TMG is a highly useful technique for the
evaluation of structures of muscular stiffness and
muscular balance of athletes. However, we should
remember that the validity and reproducibility of the
results are conditioned to strict evaluation protocols.
Bele,
Östenberg,
Sjöström, &
Alricsson
2015
The purpose of this
study was to examine
beach volleyball
player’s experience
regarding shoulder
injury and how it
affects their return top
lay.
5 elite beach
volleyball
players, 4 male
and 1 female
The finding of this study indicate that three different
factors that increase the chances of getting back to
beach volleyball after shoulder injury, including the
player’s self-motivation, support from community, family,
teammate and coach.
DISCUSSION
As presented in the results section, the literature published to date related to the field of health in beach
volleyball as inclusion criteria set out in this document includes four research lines that will be discussed
below:
Specific injuries
The research line in specific injuries collects publications on the study of injuries that have been published
on diseases, injuries or ailments in narrow parts of the body. Literature has focused on those injuries that
caused more problems or have shown higher prevalence so different publications on the same anatomical
region have arisen: shoulder, knee, foot and back have been specifically studied.
One of the topics of interest has been the study of ankle and foot. The first publication on this distal area
appeared in 1996 (Frey, Andersen, & Feder, 1996) where a study of treatment and diagnostic of "sand toe"
or hyperplantarflexion was developed to 12 athletes. The right treatment for this specific foot injury was ice,
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anti-inflammatories and rest along with a program to strengthen. Interest in the study of the foot has led to
the study on specific foot injuries suffered by players, both volleyball and beach volleyball (Frey, 2010). The
most common injuries were ankle sprains, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis, arch strain,
metatarsophalangeal (MTP) hyperextension and MTP hyperflexion. In addition, a study focused on sports
practiced without shoes is published (Vormittag, Calonje & Briner, 2009), among which is the beach
volleyball. In this work, ankle injuries are less common than indoor, but on the other hand, lacerations in
skin by abrasions is a common injury, while stressing "sand toe" as a specific injury of athletes who
practice sand sports.
Following the specific injuries, another group of studies have focused on the shoulder joint and adjacent
structures. The first specific study on the shoulder was published in 2009 (Lajtai et al., 2009), where
prevalence of infraspinatus muscle atrophy in professional beach volleyball is of 30% of players. Years
later, infraspinatus muscle atrophy is study more deeply (Lajtai et al., 2012), where a prevalence of 34%
was established as a consequence of a repetitive traction injury of the suprascapular nerve. Other studies
focused on shoulder have been studied with specific techniques for shoulders injuries (Monteleone et al.,
2014), detecting cases of calcific tendinopathy, impingement, inflammation of the cuff and rotator cuff
degeneration in Italian athletes in beach volleyball. Also a study of the suprascapular nerve (Pieber et al.,
2014) and its prevalence in athletes showed a detection of 5 of the 18 athletes tested. Finally, a report of
two cases of severe atrophy of the deltoid muscle with a prevalence of 2.2% along with a review of injuries
both back and shoulder (Monteleone, Gismant, Stevanato & Tiloca, 2015) complete the publications over
shoulder. In the latter publication, the reason for shoulder injuries exposed to high values of torque and
range of motion in a very short time is stated.
On the other hand, despite not having as many publications as the foot or shoulder, back and knee studies
have also been of interest in specific literature. As for the knee, the first article appears in 2008 (Pfirrmann
et al., 2008) where quadriceps and patellar tendinosis was diagnosticated to 34 and 13 athletes out of 202
of the sample. The knee quadriceps tendon thickening was also establishing as the cause of previous pain
symptoms. The next knee publication focuses on the description of a case study in a man of 44 years
suffered a traumatic separation of a type I patella bipartite (Ottesen, Barfod & Holck, 2014).
Two publications deals with the study of the back. The first one studied back injuries along with shoulder
injuries as common pathologies in beach volleyball players (Seminati & Minetti, 2013). A year later, a study
on the prevalence of disc degeneration prevalence and spondylolysis (Kulling et al., 2014) established that
the most affected spinal levels were L4-5 in 14 (48%) and L5-S1 in 15 players (52%).
Finally, a research on the most common injures is published in 2006 (Reeser et al., 2006), where
prevention strategies are set for ankle sprains, patellar tendinitis and shoulder injuries.
Injuries incidence, prevalence and frequency
The publications until today deal with the description of the type of more frequent injuries and their impact.
The first study aimed to determine the incidence of injury in beach volleyball by making a comparison with
indoor volleyball (Aagaard, Scavenius & Jorgensen, 1997). In this article, a differentiation between
incidences of injury of beach volleyball players and indoor players is stated, with 4.9 and 4.2 injuries every
1000 hours of practice, respectively. It also establishes athletes are more injured in attack and defence
actions on the beach, with shoulder as the most common injury, while blocking actions and attack produced
more injuries in indoor volleyball, with finger and ankle injury as the most frequent injury. In this line, some
studies have studied in pattern of injuries in indoor players and beach volleyball (Kugler et al., 2006) setting
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0.8 injuries per year being the knee injury (20%), ankle (17%), fingers (15%), shoulder (13.1%) and back
pain (5.7%) the most common. Also, a review of the most common injuries in volleyball and beach
volleyball is published in 2012 (Eerkes, 2012). In this paper, ankle injuries, knee and shoulder were
established as the most common injuries.
In 2003, Bahr and Reeser (2003), specifically address beach volleyball injuries during world championship
beach volleyball. In this publication, incidences of 3.1 injuries per 1000 hours of competition and of 0.8
injuries per 1000 hours of training are established. The most common acute injuries are knee (30%), ankle
(17%) and fingers (17%). They have also set back pain (19%), knee pain (12%) and problems with the
shoulder (10%) as overuse injuries.
In this same line, a series of studies were published on injuries in sports events, among which are also
beach volleyball. In 2008, (Zhang & Ge, 2008) conducted a study of injuries in the 10th National Games of
China, establishing a harmful effect of 47%, where blocking actions were the cause of injury. Also in the
last two editions of the Olympic Games, in Beijing 2008 (Junge et al., 2009) and London 2012
(Engebretsen et al., 2013), beach volleyball injuries were also registered. In Beijing and London, injuries of
these athletes during the games accounted for 8.3% and 12.5% of all recorded injuries, respectively.
Finally, two studies comparing injuries in beach volleyball players with other variables or sports were
published. In the first one, a comparison between the training methods and the injury incidence is
conducted (Paulseth, Martinovich, Scira & Sherman, 2002), establishing that the most common injuries are
ankle sprains, back injuries and knee injuries. In the other study of 2006 carried out a comparison of injures
for two sand sports, comparing thus beach volleyball players with beach soccer players (Gamez et al.,
2006). It was establishing that the most common injury is in tendon and ligament (36%), followed by foot
and ankle injuries, with skin lesions as the most frequent ones.
Infections in beach volleyball
In the third research line of health, three studies focused on nematode and fungal infection in beach
volleyball athletes. The first appears in 1997 (Biolcati & Alabiso, 1997), as the case of a beach volleyball
player infested by a nematode called Brasiliense Ancylostoma, where followed treatment was described.
The second article contains description of the fungal infection for beach volley players (Winokur & Dexter,
2004) where different fungal infections caused by fungi type of tinea corporis, capitis, cruris, versicolor,
onychomycosis ask are described. They found that the best preventive measures were personal hygiene,
surveillance and not sharing bathroom fixtures. Finally in 2011, a case of Tungiasis infection (Veraldi et al.,
2011) is documented in an Italian beach volleyball player, where treatment and clinical picture presented by
the athlete is again indicated.
General
This fourth and final research line of publications include all health-related studies that cannot be included
within the above three groups, so publications on different subjects are collected but related to the field of
health Beach volleyball.
The first two publications focused on the study of the relationship between temperature and beach
volleyball. The first one collects climate data in beach volleyball during the 1996 Summer Olympics (Martin,
1999) and its influence on the players. In the same way, some recommendations are published to prevent
the effects of heat on beach volleyball players during FIVB tournaments (Bahr & Reeser, 2012).
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Other studies have focused on the validation of scale test using beach volleyball players as sample, among
others (Dickinson & Hanrahan, 2009) and the development of protocols and procedures for data collection
for the study of injuries using beach volleyball players data (Bahr, 2009).
The literature also includes a description of a case study of 21-year beach volleyball players that presents a
picture of pre palpitations and syncope on effort, performing a descriptive study in depth and ECG
diagnosis (Pahunyzen-Goedkoop & Smeets, 2009).
Another of published papers on health within this block is the study of muscle stiffness through TMG
electromyography (Ruiz et al., 2012), establishing as a method and proper technique to assess both
stability and muscle stiffness in beach volleyball athletes.
Finally, the last work published to date is a study of recovery and return to competition of athletes after
suffering a shoulder injury (Bele et al., 2015), with factors such as coach, family, personal motivation and
reasons that led to the training and competition.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the literature reviewed in this paper, the field differences between volleyball and beach
volleyball plays a role on different types of injuries suffered by players. Indeed, the playing surface and the
total number of players per team become the major factor to explain such contrast. The number of players,
a couple, and the number of repetitions of different technical actions force volleyball beach players to
perform a greater number of actions throughout a game.
For beach volleyball players in studies published to date, it was establish an injury incidence between 3.9
and 4.9 injuries per 1000 hours, with injuries both in competition and in training. In addition, the majority of
injuries are caused in defensive and attack actions. Besides, the body parts that suffer most acute damage
are knees, ankle and fingers, while for overuse, back, knee and shoulder. Finally, the main reason for
injuries is the high degree of repetition of explosive actions, where athletes undergo joints to great stress
and speed in execution techniques required for game development.
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