[Injuries in handball players].

The study involves 421 patients who had suffered injury while playing handball. It describes mechanism and trauma, the injuries and their consequences, and data on training and technical conditions. 2/3 of the injured were female and one half belonged to the younger age-classes. The incidence of injury was highest among senior players. Distortion was the most frequent type of injury, followed by contusions and fractures. Half of the injuries were to the upper limbs, but the most frequent single injury was injury to the ankle joint. Many fractures were seen in fingers, forearm, hand and ribs. Wounds occurred most frequently to the face. The most serious injuries were ruptures of the ligaments in the knee joint. Protective equipment, such as braces, was seldom used. A small minority of the players were given adequate first aid. Important measures to prevent injury include better basic training, better technical training conditions, good first aid, and some changes in the rules of competition.