Sport is good for the body and psyche and is fun. But personal ambition quickly comes to an end when an injury forces a break. Well prepared, the risk of this can be significantly reduced. The first rays of sunshine lure recreational athletes outdoors again. Some take advantage of the spring to finally put their good intentions into practice and start doing sports. But for some of them, the first training session ends up at the orthopedist, sports physician, family doctor or in emergency care.
Sports accidents all year round
The list of potential injuries in sports is long. In the last three years, one in five Germans suffered a sports accident in their free time. Bruises, sprains, and torn muscles and tendons account for nearly 80 percent of all sports injuries.
The reason for the painful spring awakening with strains, sprains, bruises or even fractures is usually that people overdo it. In 70 percent of cases, poor preparation is the cause of injuries.
Even those who were in top form last fall cannot assume after the winter break that they will be able to start again with the same expectations of their own performance. Risks remain even for those who were active in swimming, cross-country skiing or in the gym during the winter – spring and summer sports put a different strain on muscles and joints. Professionals know this and train specifically to avoid sports injuries.
The trend toward risk
In Germany, an estimated nearly 40 million people play sports, about a third of them in the more than 90,000 clubs.
But unfortunately, every year around one and a half to two million people nationwide are injured while playing sports – and the trend is rising. The reasons for this are the growing number of untrained recreational athletes, the trend toward fashionable sports such as snowboarding and inline skating, or sports with an increased risk of injury such as mountain biking, bungee jumping or free climbing.
In addition, there is a generally increased willingness to take risks among many athletes. In addition, the movement sequences are often insufficiently learned, precautions are not or insufficiently observed and the recommended protective clothing is not worn.
Top 10 body regions injured
These 10 body regions are where most sports injuries occur:
- Ankle joint
- Knee
- Shoulder
- Wrist
- Elbow
- Thumb
- Skull
- Chest
- Spine
- Achilles tendon
