At least 11 percent of the athletes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games incurred injuries during the games and 7 percent incurred illness, which means the games may need a new strategy for injury prevention, according to a report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers studied the daily reports from physicians covering over 2,500 athletes at the winter games. There were 287 reported injuries and 185 illnesses. Head, cervical spine and knee were the most common injury locations.
The risk of injury was found highest for bobsleigh, ice hockey, short track, alpine freestyle and snowboard cross with between 15-30 percent of the athletes in the sport injured. The lowest risk was for the Nordic skiing events, luge, curling, speed skating and freestyle moguls with less than 5 percent of athlete injuries.
Read the abstract for "Sports injuries and illnesses during the Winter Olympic Games 2010."
Read other coverage on sports injury prevention:
- Soccer Players Should Rotate for Multiple Games in a Week to Decrease Injury Risk
- 5 Strategies for Preventing Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports Medicine
- Cleveland Clinic Conducts Research on Equipment for Concussion Prevention
Researchers studied the daily reports from physicians covering over 2,500 athletes at the winter games. There were 287 reported injuries and 185 illnesses. Head, cervical spine and knee were the most common injury locations.
The risk of injury was found highest for bobsleigh, ice hockey, short track, alpine freestyle and snowboard cross with between 15-30 percent of the athletes in the sport injured. The lowest risk was for the Nordic skiing events, luge, curling, speed skating and freestyle moguls with less than 5 percent of athlete injuries.
Read the abstract for "Sports injuries and illnesses during the Winter Olympic Games 2010."
Read other coverage on sports injury prevention:
- Soccer Players Should Rotate for Multiple Games in a Week to Decrease Injury Risk
- 5 Strategies for Preventing Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports Medicine
- Cleveland Clinic Conducts Research on Equipment for Concussion Prevention