Epidemiology of sports injuries in para table tennis

The epidemiology of sports injuries provides basic information to prevent and reduce injury rates, followed by the design exercises for preventive training. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of sports injuries in para table tennis.

The present study was performed by a descriptive method and cross-sectional sampling. A total of 61 para table tennis player participated in the present study. The questionnaire used in the study included demographic information, the side of the injury, the injured limb, the mechanism of the injury, and the cause of the injury. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, and cross tables were used for data analysis by SPSS software (version 22).

The information from questionnaires for seated and standing classes showed that exercise injuries were greater on the right side of the body as compared to the left side. The frequency of injuries to the upper limbs was 60.7 %, highest percent of the whole body, compared to the lower limbs, trunk, head and neck. Most injuries occurred in the elbow and shoulder, resulting in 16.4 % of elbow injuries and 60.7 % of shoulder injuries. Among these, non‐contact mechanisms had the largest share and the most common cause of injury was the athlete's incorrect technique.

it is suggested that coaches, in cooperation with the medical team, be aware of athletes' physical assessments and design exercises to improve range of motion, balance, and correct deficiencies in the athlete's technique.