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| Author/Association: | Verhagen E, Vriend I, Gouttebarge V, Kemler E, de Wit J, Zomerdijk D, Nauta J |
| Title: | Effectiveness of a warm-up programme to reduce injuries in youth volleyball players: a quasi-experiment [with consumer summary] |
| Source: | British Journal of Sports Medicine 2023 Apr;57(8):464-470 |
| Method: | clinical trial |
| Method Score: | 4/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed* |
| Consumer Summary: | WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC: Volleyball is an injury prone sport with a high number of participants globally, and around 25% of all volleyball-related injuries occur among youth players. Exercise-based warm-up programmes to prevent injuries in volleyball have been systematically developed and evaluated successfully. However, the available evidence on injury risk reduction in youth volleyball is lacking. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: The 'VolleyVeilig' warm-up programme is associated with reduced injury rates in youth volleyball players, specifically acute injuries and injuries to the upper extremity. The 'VolleyVeilig' programme had a positive impact on the severity of injuries, as measured by a reduction in the number of sports days missed due to injury. HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY: 'VolleyVeilig' provides a youth-specific, feasible and effective warm-up programme that can reduce injuries and their severity. Implementation of the programme is recommended, although programme updates are needed to improve adherence and, subsequently, the preventive effect of the programme. |
| Abstract: | OBJECTIVES: To establish the effectiveness of the 'VolleyVeilig' programme on reducing injury rate, injury burden and injury severity in youth volleyball players. METHODS: We conducted a quasi-experimental prospective study over one season of youth volleyball. After randomisation by competition region, we instructed 31 control teams (236 children, average age 12.58 +/- 1.66) to use their usual warm-up routine. The 'VolleyVeilig' programme was provided to 35 intervention teams (282 children, average age 12.90 +/- 1.59). This programme had to be used during each warm-up before training sessions and matches. We sent a weekly survey to all coaches, collecting data on each player's volleyball exposure and injuries sustained. Multilevel analyses estimated differences in injury rates and burden between both groups, and we used non-parametric bootstrapping to compare the differences in injury numbers and injury severity. RESULTS: We found an overall reduction in injury rates of 30% for intervention teams (HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.39 to 1.33). Detailed analyses revealed differences for acute (HR 0.58; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.97) and upper extremity injuries (HR 0.41; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.83). Compared with control teams, the intervention teams had a relative injury burden of 0.39 (95% CI 0.30 to 0.52) and a relative injury severity of 0.49 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.95). Only 44% of teams fully adhered to the intervention. CONCLUSION: We established that the 'VolleyVeilig' programme was associated with reduced acute and upper extremity injury rates and lower injury burden and severity in youth volleyball players. While we advise implementation of the programme, programme updates to improve adherence are needed. Reproduced with permission from the BMJ Publishing Group. Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):  help |
