The Olympic Games are a pinnacle of human athletic achievement, showcasing the world's best athletes in a display of strength, speed, and skill. Due to this high performance environment, injuries are an almost inevitable part of an Olympic athlete’s life. These athletes, coming from all sports, face a constant risk of injury due to the intense training regimes and competition. These injuries can have a profound effect on an athlete, both physically and mentally, sometimes requiring them to take time away from their sport.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the injury information from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
What sports have the highest injury risk?
Taking from injury data at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the incidence of injury was highest in boxing, BMX events, skateboarding, karate and handball. The sports with the lowest reported injuries were diving, road cycling, rowing and shooting. A study reported that 9% of the athletes competing sustained at least one injury, with some sustaining two or three during the games.
How bad were the injuries?
56% of the injuries reported during Tokyo were estimated to cause no time loss from sport, meaning that the athletes wouldn’t have had to withdraw because of them. However, 24% would have resulted in missing out on sport for up to a week, 11% resulting in missing out on sport for 1-4 weeks, and 9% resulting in a 28+ day loss from sport.
Injury locations and types
The most injured body parts were:
Knee,
Hamstring region,
Shoulder,
Ankle
Face
Muscle strains and ligament sprains were amongst the most commonly experienced injuries in the olympic athletes, as they are with amateurs too.
What were the causes of injury?
77% of the injuries were acute, meaning that they would have happened there and then and so were a new injury for the athlete
12% of the injuries were chronic or recurrent - emphasizes how important it is to get any niggles you have checked out by a sports therapist before it becomes an injury risk!
The most commonly reported injury mechanisms were contact with another athlete, non-contact trauma and overuse.
Other factors that may play into this are inadequate recovery periods during the games, fatigue and environmental conditions - even the elite athletes with all the support in the world can sustain injuries through these factors, highlighting the importance of taking these into account during your training!
Here at SV Sports Therapy, we assess, treat and manage injuries like the ones mentioned in this article, whether this be a new injury or a recurring one! We welcome athletes from all sports, at any level!
Give us a call to book in with Emily on 020 3494 4343 or email reception@svsportstherapy.com or if you are an existing client, you can also book online here.
We would love to serve you!
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