Abstract

The frequency and location of sport-related injuries was studied in a prospective epidemiological investigation of 434 participants in competitive sports (335 men, aged 15-35 yr, mean age 20 yr; 97 women, aged 15-34 yr, mean age 19 yr). The distribution of the sports was soccer in 259 cases, handball in 105, volleyball in 17, swimming in 1, tennis in 16, badminton in 103, bicycling in 1, dancing in 1, track and field in 43, gymnastics in 10, and other in 54. Twohundred and sixty-five subjects had previous sportrelated injuries, and 46 of them had permanent sequelae from one or more injuries. The injuries were to the head in 11 cases, to the right arm in 27, to the left arm in 16, to the back in 5, to the stomach in 2, to the chest in 5, to the right leg in 64, to left leg in 58, to the shoulder in 9, to the elbow in 13, to the wrist in 16, to the hip in 11, to the knee in 94, and to the ankle and feet in 107. One year after the initial investigation, 137 subjects were re-examined: No serious sports injuries were registered during this period, but 55 subjects had suffered 88 slight injuries, while only one-fifth of the participants suffered injuries serious enough to refrain from active sport temporarily. In 11 of the cases, the minor injuries were of the upper limbs and in 76 to the lower limbs. In general, the participants were in good physical condition:VO2 max averaged 46 ml|kg-min in women and 47 ml|kg-min in men. Verf.-Referat