Handball has for a long time been one of the most popular sports in Iceland, often called the national sport of Iceland due to the success of the male national team in international tournaments. Shoulder injuries are common among handball players and can cause significant problems. The high prevalence of shoulder injuries among handball players underscores the importance of injury prevention methods and an increasing number of studies have therefore been attempting to identify possible risk factors for shoulder injuries.
Recent studies investigating the prevalence of shoulder injuries and possible risk factors have first and foremost looked at factors related to the shoulder itself. However, a large part of the forces required to use the shoulder in the most efficient way in throwing sports, influencing performance related factors like throwing velocity, is generated through the lower extremity and the trunk muscles.
No studies have, however, investigated to possible association between inefficient use of the lower extremities and the trunk during the throwing motion and shoulder injuries and whether lack of strength and force production in the lower extremities and the trunk is associated with an increase in reported shoulder injuries among handball players.
