A video-based analysis to classify shoulder injuries during the Handball World Championships 2015

Injuries play a major role in high-performance sports and occur in training and competition. Handball is a team sport with high physical demands, and the measurement of specific loads has the potential to identify risk factors for injuries. Few studies have identified this in handball during a World Cup. This study aims to record shoulder injuries that occurred during the 88 games of the 2015 Men's World Cup and to discuss position-specific differences. Players from 24 national teams were analysed using a camera system and special software (Prozone Handball V. 1.2, Prozone, Leeds, UK). In total, nine shoulder injuries were recorded. Three out of these nine injuries were non-contact injuries. The number of passes and throws is position-dependent, and the highest load was documented for the back players. The two back players who suffered a non-contact injury have an increased play time and an increased number of throws compared to their peers. To reduce the risk of injury, the load should be monitored (during training and tournament), and a targeted injury prevention should be performed to prepare the players for the requirements of the game/tournament.