The primary aim of my PhD thesis was to investigate how different types of load (training, competition, academic, work and psychosocial) contribute to the occurrence of injuries and illnesses in elite handball players. Specifically, I aimed to (1) quantify the prevalence, incidence, burden and characteristics of health problems according to playing position, (2) investigate the associations between subjective and objective measures of load and stress, (3) examine the associations between different loads and injury and illness occurrence and (4) evaluate the utility of selected blood biomarkers for monitoring stress, load and injury/illness occurrence in elite handball players. Overall, this work sought to move beyond traditional, predominantly physical injury and illness aetiology models by adopting a biopsychosocial perspective of athlete health.
Sports injury aetiology models have traditionally focused on physical load, often neglecting the broader…