Handball Injuries

American handball is sport much like squash or racquetball, but is played with the hands, not a racquet. It shouldn’t be confused with European handball, which is a soccer-like team sport. American handball is both played in organized and league settings -and- recreational settings like street handball courts and fitness centers. One element that contributes to its growing popularity is that American handball requires little equipment - at least one wall; a rubber ball; and, if playing in an organized setting, safety glasses and protective gloves. However, like all sports, handball has a risk of injury.

What Are Some Common Handball Injuries?

Sprained Finger

There are three bones (phalanges) in each finger and two bones in each thumb. Each pairing of phalanges are separated by an interphalangeal joint. Strong bands of soft tissue, called collateral ligaments, run along side each of the joints. These ligaments are what hold the finger joints in place and connect one finger bone to another. When one or more of these collateral ligaments are abnormally stretched or torn, it’s called a sprained finger. In American handball, finger sprains are usually the result of the ball nipping the tip of a finger and bending it backwards, thereby stretching/tearing the ligament along the side of the affected finger’s joint. However, finger sprains can also during other events, such as when a finger is jammed into another player or struck on the wall or ground after a player looses his/her balance. Like all sprains, finger sprains are graded based on the degree of injury to the ligament:

Grade 1 - stretching or microscopic tearing of one or more of the collateral ligaments. The finger may be sore, but it usually retains normal functioning.

Grade 2 - moderate tearing of one or more of the collateral ligaments. The finger may be swollen, painful, tender, red, warm, bruised, and suffer some loss of functioning and flexibility.

Grade 3 - significant tearing of one or more of the collateral ligaments. This grade is commonly associated with finger dislocations and fractures. The affected finger may be swollen, painful, tender, red, warm, bruised, and suffer significant to complete loss of functioning and flexibility.

Ankle Sprains

Some studies have suggested that ankle sprains account for at least 25% of all handball injuries. Since the sport requires sudden stops and starts; fast sprints; and sudden, frequent changes in directions, it’s easy to see how the ankle is a high-risk injury site in handball.

The ankle joint is stabilized by several strong ligaments. The lateral side of the ankle is supported by the calcaneo-fibular ligament, anterior talo-fibular ligament, and posterior talo-fibular ligament. Whereas, the medial side of the ankle is supported by the deltoid ligament. Just above the ankle, the inferior tibio-fibular ligaments are connected to the tibia and fibula bones in the lower leg.

Twisting, turning, or rolling the ankle past its normal range of motion (inwardly or outwardly) can stretch or tear one of the above ligaments. An inversion sprain is the most common type of ankle sprain. It occurs when the ankle is twisted, turned, or rolled outwardly and the foot turns inwardly, thereby stretching or tearing one or more ligaments along the outside of the ankle. An eversion sprain occurs when the ankle is forced inwardly and the foot turns outward, thereby stretching or tearing one of the ligaments along the inside of the ankle. One last type of sprain is a high ankle sprain of the inferior tibio-fibular ligaments, which usually either follows the foot being forced upwardly or the lower leg being twisted while the foot is planted firmly on the ground.

Again, sprains are graded based on the degree of stretching or tearing to the ligament:

Grade 1 - stretching or microscopic tearing. The ankle remains stable and could be mildly painful, tender, and swollen.

Grade 2- moderate tearing. The ankle may feel slightly unstable, especially during standing, walking, or running. It could also be swollen, painful, tender, bruised, and warm.

Grade 3 - significant tearing, involving more than 90% of the ligament. The ankle will usually feel highly unstable. Ankle movement is usually extremely painful, if not impossible. It could also be significantly swollen, painful, tender, bruised, and warm.

Contusions

A contusion is another name for a bruise. It may describe a subcutaneous, muscle, bone, or internal organ bruise. In handball, most contusions are either subcutaneous or muscle bruises. The difference is how great the force was behind the object striking the skin. Contusions can occur from a ball striking the player, a player accidentally striking or running into another player, or a player falling on the ground. The force of the blunt force trauma damages small blood vessels around the subcutaneous and/or muscle tissue. As the blood begins to leak out and pool, the area may turn black-and-blue and become sore and painful.

Of course, these are just a few or the many injuries handball players are prone to suffering. Other injuries may include muscle strains, especially of the rotator cuff, groin, and lower legs; tendinitis; Achilles injuries; plantar fascia; lacerations; and cartilage injuries.