Author(s)

Gerald Kela¹, Stanley C. Chombo², Marius Van der Merwe³

¹Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, School of Education, Department of Intermediate and Vocational Education (DIVE), University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo Campus, Katima Mulilo, Namibia.
²Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, School of Education, Department of Applied Educational Sciences (DAES), University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo Campus, Katima Mulilo, Namibia.
³Faculty of Health Sciences & Veterinary Medicine, School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Physical and Sport Scienc-es (DPSS), University of Namibia, Windhoek Main Campus, Windhoek, Namibia.

Injuries of upper and lower body extremities are very common among volleyball players and their impact on sports has numerous effects in training sessions and competitive games. The purpose of this study was to examine the location of injuries of upper and lower body extremities in volleyball players within the Zambezi Volleyball Association. The study employed quantitative research methods to explore more on injuries of upper and lower body among participants. The study population consisted of (n = 141) participants (n = 37 female, n = 104 male) with 10 teams (n = 3 female, n = 7 male). The participants were purposively selected based on their experience and involvement in volleyball training sessions and games. The data was analyzed using SPSS software programme. The result percentages and frequencies were presented in tables. A total number of 293 injuries (73 female, 220 male) were sustained during the 2021-2022 season from these body locations: shoulder injuries 63 (44.6%), Hand/wrist injuries 51 (36.0%), Ankle injuries 47 (33.0%), Head/face injuries 29 (20.5%), knee 26 (18.4%), trunk injuries 20 (14.1%), arm/elbow injuries 15 (10.6%), foot injuries 14 (9.9%), lower leg injuries 11 (7.8%), hip/thigh/upper leg injuries 9 (6.3%) and 8 neck injuries (5.6%). This study concludes that there are more injury occurrences sustained among male compared to female participants within the same injury locations. Moreover, common locations of injuries were sustained in shoulders, wrists and ankles in most volleyball players (20% - 63%) in one season.

Volleyball, Location, Injuries, Upper Body Extremities, Lower Body Extremi-ties

Kela, G. , Chombo, S. and der Merwe, M. (2023) Examining Location of Injuries of Upper and Lower Body Extremities in Volleyball Players within the Zambezi Volleyball Association. Advances in Physical Education, 13, 79-91. doi: 10.4236/ape.2023.131008.