The influence of injury status on neuromuscular status monitoring in collegiate beach volleyball athletes

Abstract

Background: Neuromuscular status monitoring is critical for roster availability and performance optimization in collegiate athletes. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between neuromuscular fatigue indicators, as measured by countermovement jump force plate testing, and injury occurrence in Division I collegiate beach volleyball student-athletes. Methods: Twenty-one female collegiate beach volleyball athletes were followed throughout the 2023-2024 competitive season. Weekly countermovement jump tests were conducted to assess neuromuscular status, and athletes were flagged for neuromuscular fatigue if jump height (flight time) was lower than one coefficient of variation from their baseline mean. Countermovement depth during countermovement jump was measured. Injury data was concurrently collected via electronic medical records and athlete participation status was categorized as "out," "limited," or "as tolerated.” The primary outcomes were the percent of flagged athletes concurrently listed on the injury report. Results: A total of 63 injuries were recorded throughout the 2024 competitive season. Athletes flagged for movement-based metrics (e.g., flight time/contraction time (RSImod) and countermovement depth) demonstrated the strongest association with injury, with 25.0% of RSI mod flags coinciding with an injury. Comparatively, jump height was flagged in 29.0% of instances, but only 20.6% were injury-related, suggesting movement-based metrics may be more indicative of injury status than output-based measures. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for integrated athlete monitoring, suggesting that movement based metrics (RSImod and countermovement depth) are sensitive indicators of neuromuscular dysfunction associated with injury. Collaborative data interpretation between sports medicine and strength and conditioning personnel is essential to reduce misclassification and enhance roster availability strategies.