Epidemiology of injuries in elite male volleyball players over a full season: A retrospective study

Background Epidemiological data on sports injuries among elite male volleyball players in Asia remain limited, with few studies calculating athlete exposures (AEs) or reporting incidence rates. Additionally, no studies focusing on Asian athletes have quantified factors associated with injury occurrence using epidemiological measures, such as incidence rate ratios. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate sports injuries and associated factors among elite male volleyball players during a full season. Methods A retrospective study was conducted among male volleyball players of the Top Volleyball League, the highest level of volleyball competition in Taiwan. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. Time-loss injury prevalence, incidence rates per 1000 estimated AEs, injury characteristics, and factors associated with time-loss injuries were analyzed. Results The prevalence of time-loss injury was 34.6% (n = 27), with 38 injury events reported. The overall incidence rate of time-loss injuries was 4.3 per 1000 estimated AEs (95% CI: 3.13–5.92). Half of the injuries occurred during spiking or blocking. Sprains were the most common injury, and the lower extremities, particularly the ankle and knee, were most frequently affected. Outside hitters had a higher injury incidence rate than liberos (crude IRR = 7.77, 95% CI: 1.03–58.82, p = 0.047). No significant associations were observed between time-loss injuries and age or body mass index. Conclusions This study provides standardized epidemiological evidence on sports injuries among Asian elite volleyball players. The higher incidence rate observed in outside hitters may suggest an association between playing position and injury incidence. Injury prevention strategies may focus on lower-extremity injuries.