The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between injury incidence (IL) and maturity stage in male elite handball players. A prospective study was conducted during two seasons, evaluating the sports injuries, maturity status and exposure time in hours in 133 young handball players, using the UEFA methodology model for epidemiological studies.
The maturity stage with different parameters is presented, as well as Tanner’s stage, puberty stages, peak high velocity, testicular volume, and the bone age. Finally, 190 injuries from a total of 34,222 hours of exposure were registered.
The mean total Injury Incidence (IL) by categories was 5.6 injuries/1000 hours of exposure. Injury incidence during competition: 21.8 injuries/1000 hours and in training: 3.1 injuries/1000 h, with no statistically significant differences between IL, chronological age, and different maturity stages using ANOVA.
The multivariate statistical analysis showed a tendency of associations between IL in competition category (P = .07), and the IL in training for Tanner (P = .091) and puberty (P = .021).
In conclusion: There was a significant difference in total IL by age categories in handball players, and there was a statistically significance tendency as regards some maturity stages using multivariate analysis. This last result should be taken into account when planning training seasons and strategies for injury prevention in the context of the handball training.