Monitoring and Assessment of Jump Performance, Workload, and Injury Risk in the Romanian Under-16 Women's National Volleyball Team.

Abstract

Background: Volleyball requires frequent jumping, landing, and overhead movements, predisposing athletes to acute and overuse injuries. Monitoring workload and neuromuscular performance is important for optimizing performance and preventing injuries in youth athletes.

Materials and methods: A retrospective observational analysis was performed using prospectively collected data from a training camp of the Romanian Under-16 (U16) women's national volleyball team. Twenty athletes were included in the study (mean age: 14.25 ± 0.72 years). Data collection consisted of demographic information, injury history, and perceived exertion, assessed with the modified Borg Category-Ratio 10 (CR10) scale. The training workload (TWL) was derived from session ratings of perceived exertion, while the acute-to-chronic workload ratio (ACWR) was calculated across the four weeks preceding the index week. In addition, neuromuscular performance was evaluated using the OptoJump Next system (Microgate S.r.l., Bolzano, Italy). Athletes completed three standardized tests at both the beginning and end of the camp.

Results: Weekly TWL was similar between groups (injured: 3,723.4; non-injured: 3,664.4). However, only 37.5% of injured athletes remained within the ACWR "safe zone" (0.8-1.3) compared to 75.0% of non-injured athletes. OptoJump assessments revealed no substantial performance differences, and by camp exit, previously injured athletes achieved comparable jump height, reactive strength index (RSI), and relative power to their peers.

Conclusions: Although workloads were broadly similar, injured athletes demonstrated greater fluctuations in ACWR, indicating increased reinjury risk. Effective and personalized rehabilitation allows recovery of neuromuscular performance, but careful workload management remains essential. Integrating load monitoring with neuromuscular assessment may improve injury prevention strategies in youth volleyball players.