Author(s): PATANÈ, P., ROMELLI, A., REPETTI, D., CORTESE, L., MARIN, L., Institution: MASTER DEGREE COURSE OF MOTOR SCIENCES, Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 457

INTRODUCTION:
Musculoskeletal injuries represent a significant issue among competitive handbike athletes due to the high mechanical load on the upper limbs and repetitive propulsion patterns. Despite the increasing participation in competitive handbike events, data on injury prevalence and associated risk and protective factors in this population remain limited. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and to identify the main risk and protective factors among Italian competitive handbike athletes.
METHODS:
An observational study was conducted on 50 competitive handbikers from the Italian national team, including 13 women. The data was collected using the Para Endurance Athlete Injury Questionnaire, consisting of 65 items divided into five thematic sections: injury history, training habits, health conditions, and potential risk factors. The questionnaire was administered online and in person, with the support of a researcher, during two major competitive events on the Italian handbike calendar, including a UCI Handbike World Cup competition. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Inferential analyses were conducted to examine associations between training variables and musculoskeletal pain. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 30.0), with significance set at p < 0.05.
RESULTS:
Overall, 78% of athletes reported musculoskeletal pain, with a prevalence of 84.6% in women and 75.7% in men; this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.503). Mild to moderate pain intensity (0–5/10) was reported by 76% of participants, with no significant sex-related differences (p = 0.453). Additional symptoms, such as stiffness and joint crepitus, were reported by 68% of athletes and were more frequent in women (84.6%) than in men (62.2%), although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.135). More than half of the athletes (54%) modified their training due to pain, with no differences between sexes (p = 0.509). No significant associations were found between musculoskeletal pain and participation in endurance races (p = 0.164), presence of an athletic trainer, or sex. Regression analysis showed a significant positive association between the number of weekly training days and musculoskeletal pain (β = 0.176, p = 0.033), whereas a higher total number of weekly training hours emerged as a protective factor (β = −0.140, p = 0.026).
CONCLUSION:
The findings indicate that a higher weekly training frequency is associated with an increased risk of musculoskeletal pain, whereas longer training sessions may exert a protective effect. These results provide preliminary evidence to improve injury prevention strategies and workload management in competitive handbikers and support the feasibility of using a structured questionnaire for injury-related assessment in this population.