A structured warm-up program to prevent overuse shoulder injuries among elite handball players

ISRCTN ISRCTN96217107
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN96217107
Secondary identifying numbers N/A
Submission date
07/03/2014
Registration date
11/04/2014
Last edited
20/06/2016
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Overuse shoulder injuries and shoulder pain in general are common in overhead throwing sports, such as badminton, baseball, volleyball and handball. This study will use handball as a model to test the effects of a structured exercise program on the prevention of overuse shoulder injuries among elite players, building on recent studies about risk factors.

Who can participate?
All 48 male and female handball teams in the top two divisions in Norway will be invited to participate, giving a total number of about 800 players.

What does the study involve?
The teams will be randomly allocated to either the prevention (24 teams, 400 players) or control group (24 teams, 400 players). Players will be tested and asked to complete questionnaires before the 2014-2015 season, which starts in September and ends in April. During the season, teams in the prevention group are asked to complete a prevention program as part of their warm up. The control group is asked to continue normal training activity. During the season all players, in both groups, will be followed to record the prevalence of overuse shoulder injuries.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The knowledge gained will be of use to researchers, doctors and coaching staff working with overhead throwing athletes. This program have no side effects and there is no potential risk involved in participating in the study.

Where is the study run from?
The study is run from the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Norway

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
This study starts in August 2014 and runs for 1 year

Who is funding the study?
Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (Norway)

Who is the main contact?
Stig Haugsbø Andersson
s.h.andersson@nih.no

Contact information

Mr Stig Haugsboe Andersson
Scientific

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Department of Sports Medicine
Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center
P.O. Box 4014 Ullevåll Stadion
Oslo
0806
Norway

Phone +47 (0)900 675 819
Email s.h.andersson@nih.no

Study information

Study designMulti-team cluster randomized controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designCluster randomised trial
Study setting(s)Other
Study typePrevention
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Scientific titleA structured warm-up program to prevent overuse shoulder injuries among elite handball players: a cluster randomized controlled trial
Study objectivesA structured warm-up program targeting scapular control, glenohumeral external rotation strength, glenohumeral internal rotation motion and core stability reduces the prevalence of overuse shoulder injuries among elite handball players.
Ethics approval(s)1. Regional Committees for Medical Research Ethics, 23/05/2014, case number: 2014/653/REK sør-øst
2. Norwegian Social Science and Data Service, 24/03/2014, case number: 28187/3/LT
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedOveruse shoulder injuries
Intervention1. The prevention program will be implemented as a standard part of the warm up for handball training sessions in the intervention group throughout the 2014-2015 season. The prevention program will consist of exercises aimed at increasing scapular control, glenohumeral external rotation strength, glenohumeral internal range of motion and core stability.

2. The teams in the control group will continue to warm up and train as usual.
Intervention typeOther
Primary outcome measureOveruse shoulder injuries will be recorded biweekly in both groups during the season using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire. All players will electronically receive the questionnaire consisting of four questions that record the extent to which each player may have reduced or modified their training, suffered from reduced performance, or experienced pain due to shoulder problems during the last seven days. In addition the questionnaire measures exposure to handball, both training and match, during the last seven days.
Secondary outcome measures1. Injuries leading to time-loss, both acute and overuse, will be recorded in both groups monthly using an electronic questionnaire, which will be sent to the team physiotherapists.
2. Compliance with the prevention program will be recorded in the prevention group at every training session by the team coaches.
3. Additional strength training including the shoulder girdle will be measured monthly in both groups using an electronic questionnaire answered by the team coaches.
Overall study start date01/08/2014
Completion date15/08/2015

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Healthy volunteer
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants800
Key inclusion criteriaHealthy male and female handball players with a contract with either a Postenliga team (24 teams) or 1.divison team (24 teams) in the 2014-2015 season.
Key exclusion criteriaThere are no exclusion criteria
Date of first enrolment01/08/2014
Date of final enrolment15/08/2015

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Norway

Study participating centre

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Oslo
0806
Norway

Sponsor information

Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (Norway)
Research organisation

Department of Sports Medicine
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
P.O. 4014 Ullevåll stadion
Oslo
0806
Norway

Email ostrc@nih.no
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/018ct3570

Funders

Funder type

Research organisation

Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (Norway)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article results 01/07/2017 Yes No

Editorial Notes

20/06/2016: Publication reference added.