Information about project titled 'Load monitoring and jumper’s knee in elite male volleyball players'
Load monitoring and jumper’s knee in elite male volleyball players
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Lena Kristin Bache-Mathiesen |
| Coworker(s): | Roald Bahr, Morten Wang Fagerland, Rodney Whitely, Chris Skazalski, Tine Sattler |
Description
Background: Jumper’s knee is a common complaint in men’s volleyball. It may lead to reduced player availability and performance. Despite these concerns, how long-term jumping exposure affects jumper’s knee is poorly understood.
Aims: Determine the relationship between jump load and the risk of jumper’s knee symptoms.
Methods: We followed four men's premier league volleyball teams through 3 seasons, and collected jump frequency, jump heights, and complaints of pain in the knee. We ran regression analyses to test whether jump load affects the risk of knee complaints, worsens knee complaints, or improves knee complaints.
Results: We found no certain associations (p > 0.05) between weekly jump load and risk of knee complaints, risk of worsening pre-existing symptoms, or recovering from pre-existing symptoms. Opposites and outside hitters had a higher risk of experiencing knee complaints than setters: Opposites HR = 3.06, p = 0.062; outside hitters 2.84, p = 0.046. Age was associated with the risk of exacerbating existing symptoms (HR = 0.95, p = 0.04).
Conclusion: The relationship between jump load and risk of knee complaints remains unclear. Age and playing position should be considered as potential factors of knee complaints in future research. This study serves as an example of how training load and injury risk can be analyzed.