Epidemiology and Associated Factors of Sports Injuries in Iranian Goalball Athletes
حوزههای تخصصی:
Visually impaired individuals have higher risk of injuries particularly in sports like goalball. It is specifically designed for the visually impaired people. It is imperative to prevent injuries prior to their occurrence for avoiding negative effects on sporting success, financial losses, and motivation. This study was aimed to determin the Epidemiology and Associated Factors of Sports Injuries in Iranian Goalball Athletes. This study is a descriptive-correlational and retrospective research. A total of 205 male and female goalball athletes, aged between 18 and 50 years, completed the injury registration form. The Fuller et al. injury registration form was utilized for data collection. The information gathered included injury prevalence, injury mechanisms, injury severity, injury incidence across different anatomical regions, injury timing (training/competition), and injury type (acute or chronic). Frequency and percentage were used to assess injury prevalence, and the Chi-square test was employed to analyze relationships between variables. The highest prevalence of injuries was related to contusions and bruises (28.3%), while fractures and dislocations had the lowest prevalence (3.9%). No significant relationship was found between sports injury prevalence and factors such as age group, activity history, activity level, and sports class. The knee exhibited the highest frequency of local and overall anatomical injuries (19.5%), while the sole of the foot had the lowest frequency (1.0%). The most common types of injuries were facial and cheek abrasions, cuts, and wounds (8.3%), followed by wrist and shoulder muscle strains, each affecting 15 athletes (7.3%). Regarding injury mechanisms, the most fre