AIM CONTROL and SWECON - Handball The SWEdish CONcussion Study in Elite Handball
AIM CONTROL and SWECON - Handball The SWEdish CONcussion Study in Elite Handball
Handball is reported to be top 5 in Europe when it comes to sports injuries. There are few
 studies based on player reported data, and earlier Swedish data is mainly based on data from
 Insurance ´companies and mostly acute injuries. Earlier data lack the overuse injuries and
 number of injuries are taught to be underreported.

 This epidemiological study has the objective to create research based knowledge about the
 injury panorama within Swedish handball with special interest in head-injuries in the elite
 level.

 By using a mobile application "AIM Control", a retrospective weekly registration of handball
 related injuries was recorded together with self-assessed injury impact. Also data about
 sports/exercise exposure, other causes that could affect the players ability to practice/play
 matches, self-rated recovery before next practice/match as well as positive and negative
 affects will be analyzed.

 Special emphasis is given to self-reported head injuries and the symptoms that the player
 might experience during the handball season 2019/2020. Data about symptom severity will be
 collected and analyzed together with AIM Controls other variables i.e. duration of symptoms
 and time to return-to-play. In case of a head-injury the Medical support team is contacted in
 order to describe the event, and interviewed with standardized questions about their thinking
 and action about how head injuries should be managed and prognosis of time to recovery and
 how to decide when a player is ready to play again? This is part of the AIM Control study
 called SWECON - handball.
In co-operation with the Swedish Handball Federation, Swedish elite players are invited to
 participate during September 2019 and start to use the mobile application weekly during the
 current season (2019 to 2020.

 By an electronic signed agreement, they receive unique user-name and log in. Download the
 free app from AppStore or Google Play, and then they are ready to start registration with
 questions in order to get retrospective data from the last week.

 It takes 2-8 minutes to complete a registration, depending on if they have had a injury to
 report or not.

 The data are stored according to data-regulations and GDPR on a secure server at Linköping
 University.

 Players in the top League in Swedish handball, for the men called Handbollsligan and for
 females called SHE, together with contact persons for their Medical team will take part in
 the study. The later only when it comes to analysis of management of a head injury/concussion
 in case of such an injury in their team.

 There is 14 possible male-teams within Handbollsligan and 12 possible female-team in SHE.
 Assessed possible number of players to register as a user of AIM Control is thought to be
 between 15-25 players peer team. Considering that some of them will not agree to participate
 or complete the study, a probable total number of participants might be 150 players in
 analysis.

 This epidemiological study has the objective to create research based knowledge about the
 injury panorama within Swedish handball with special interest in head-injuries in the elite
 level.

 A retrospective weekly registration by the handball player to record handball related
 injuries together with self-assessed injury impact. The application will push notice when it
 is time to do the weekly registration as well as a reminder.

 Also data about sports/exercise exposure, other causes that could affect the players ability
 to practice/play matches, self-rated recovery before next practice/match as well as positive
 and negative affects will be analyzed.

 If power, association between variables before injury occurs as well as afterwards is taught
 to be analyzed.

 If a head injury is reported, possible symptoms afterwards will be self-reported in the app
 (part 2 in SCAT 5), and duration and when they return to team practice will be analyzed.
 Several questions regarding standard management and decisions for return to play is monitored
 by interviewing members of the Medical team and a follow-up interview with players with a
 handball related head-injury is planned to map retrospective experiences.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Player in the top league in Swedish handball (both men and women).

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  don´t read Swedish (the app:s language is Swedish)