The Paris Olympics have brought to light an important but often overlooked topic in global health: injuries among athletes. The recent experiences of U.S. Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles, who overcame pain in her calf to lead her team to a gold medal, and hopeful Skye Blakely, who had to withdraw from the team after rupturing her Achilles tendon, highlight the physical toll that competitive sports can take on athletes. These incidents are not isolated, as other young women athletes like distance runner Alicia Monson and sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah have also been forced to withdraw from Olympic trials due to injuries.
According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, injuries accounted for about 6% of the world’s disease burden in 2021. However, competitive athletes still experience injuries at a rate three to five times higher than the general public, despite having access to top coaches, training facilities, and equipment, and maintaining peak physical condition.
As women’s sports continue to grow in participation and popularity, there is a pressing need for more awareness and investment in understanding the epidemiology of injuries among female athletes. Preventing injuries is crucial not only for their athletic careers but also for their long-term health.
Studies have shown that elite adolescent athletes are more prone to developing new injuries annually compared to the general population. This is often due to the repetitive impact or overuse of specific body parts in sports. The types of injuries can vary from minor sprains to severe traumatic brain injuries, depending on the sport. Common sports-related injuries include sprains, strains, fractures, with the knee, shoulder, and hips being the most commonly affected body parts.
Different sports pose different risks of injuries. For example, runners are more susceptible to stress fractures and strains in the legs and feet, while swimmers often experience muscle strains in the shoulder or lower back pain. High-impact sports like gymnastics, football, and soccer are associated with fractures and concussions. In recent years, there has been a concerning increase in muscle strains and sprains among elite female athletes, with injuries like ACL tears and Achilles tendon injuries forcing many to withdraw from major competitions.
Interestingly, men tend to experience more injuries than women, with fractures being the most common sports-related injury. However, female athletes are at a higher risk of concussions and often have higher injury rates and more severe outcomes compared to their male counterparts. Despite this, muscle strains, sprains, and head injuries are nearly twice as common among men in the general population.
Proper safety equipment, such as helmets, mouth guards, and padding, can help reduce the risk of injuries in sports. Additionally, wearing appropriate footwear and clothing, engaging in strength-building exercises, warming up before physical activity, and prioritizing nutrition, sleep, and rest can all contribute to injury prevention and faster recovery.
While most people may not become professional athletes, a significant portion of the global population participates in sports and exercise regularly. The mental and physical health benefits of sports are invaluable, but the lack of consistent understanding of injuries between genders and across different sports limits our ability to address these issues effectively. The Olympics serve as a platform to advocate for increased investment in injury prevention for athletes and the general population alike.
