Prevalence of knee injuries in water polo players in Malta

Abstract

The sport of Water polo involves the upper limbs for the majority of the actions in the sport, therefore there is a lot of focus and studies on the shoulders and their respective injuries. Thus, there is less literature describing the involvement of the lower limbs. The lower limbs are very important as Without adequate technique and strength then the water polo players are unable to elevate out of the water, jump forward and in overall excel in the sport. Therefore, the majority of the concentration is on injuries relating to the upper limbs. The reason for the study is investigating the prevalence of knee injuries in Maltese water polo since the lower limbs are significant part of the sport and often overlooked. In the findings of this study there was one injury of each gender which occurred throughout the 2020 Summer league. A low response rate of 20 participants representing nine male and four female teams consist of 15 players each resultantly limits the overall accuracy. The techniques used in order for the lower limbs to provide the elevating force which was called the eggbeater or breaststroke kicks were reported by the participants to be the cause of the injury and also to be causing pain in their knees with no reported injury. This study albeit in low numbers was able to shed some light on the prevalence of knee injuries in water polo over one season which may prove to be insightful and allow physiotherapists in the future to have a better understanding when tackling knee injuries related to water polo.