Epidemiology of Injuries in Wheelchair Basketball: Trauma Versus Overuse Mechanism and Prevention Rehabilitative Strategies

ABSTRACT Introduction Wheelchair basketball (WB) is one of the most practiced sports among people with disabilities worldwide. There is a lack of data in scientific literature about injuries in sports for disabled people compared with able-bodied sports. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of injuries in professional WB athletes in an Italian cohort, distinguishing between trauma and overuse lesions and discussing the role of rehabilitation to prevent them. Materials and Methods The design is that of a cross-sectional study. An online survey was distributed to a group of Italian WB athletes competing in the first and second division of FIPIC (Wheelchair Basketball Italian Federation). The survey included demographic data, medical diagnoses, and athletes’ injuries history. The sample size consisted of 104 players. Results Forty-six injuries were reported. Of these, 32/46 (69.6%) were traumatic injuries and 14/46 (30.4%) were overuse injuries. The incidence of tendinopathies and fractures was significantly higher than for other injuries (P < 0.0001). Right shoulder (P < 0.0001), right hand (P = 0.002), and left hand (P = 0.041) injuries incidence was higher than any other injury in a statistically significant manner. The traumatic injuries group had a statistically significant difference in terms of days of suspension from sport activities compared with overuse injuries group (traumatic: median, 30; interquartile range [IQR], 14.5–40.0; range, 1–730 vs. overuse: median, 20.5; IQR, 10–21; range, 1–30; P = 0.006). Conclusions Trauma injuries are more common than overuse injuries. Injury prevention strategies should be based on rethinking protection devices technologies and integrating sport activities into a tailored rehabilitation global project that considers each athlete’s functional impairment and needs. Clinical Relevance Implementing the knowledge on WB injuries can really help to reinterpret rehabilitation in a new way, aimed at both the treatment and the prevention of these injuries. This will make this sport safer and more effective in improving the physical skills of people with disabilities.