New research concludes that most physical activity activities carry a low risk of serious injury. The study, based on nationwide hospital data and covering 61 sports, highlights the relative safety of fitness activities and points to rising injury trends globally, advocating for preventive measures and real-time injury monitoring.
A five-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Bath in the UK found that the likelihood of serious injury in most forms of exercise is very low.
The study, funded by the British Medical Association, highlights that even sports considered risky, such as road cycling, are mainly safe. This study highlights that the benefits of participating in fitness activities greatly outweigh the potential dangers.
This is the first attempt by researchers in England and Wales to describe and quantify the relative risk of trauma from sport or other physical activity. It is hoped that the results of this study will provide greater convenience to event participants and organizers, making their events safer.
The new study, which draws data from hospitals across the country where physical activity participants have experienced major trauma, was recently published in the journal Injury Prevention, a publication of the BMJ.
Research insights and key findings
Researchers found that between 2012 and 2017, a total of 11,702 injuries were caused by physical activity.
Dr Sean Williams, a researcher at the Department of Health and the Center for Health and Injury and Disease Prevention at the University of Bath and lead investigator on the study, said: "This study shows that participating in fitness activities is definitely a safe and beneficial activity. While no physical activity can be completely risk-free, the chance of serious injury is much lower compared to the countless health and wellness benefits that come with staying active."
The study looked at 61 sports and other physical activities practiced across the country, regardless of their popularity, and provided a comparative assessment of the risks faced by participants. Perhaps not surprisingly, fitness activities such as running, golf, dance classes and gym classes are among the least likely to cause injuries. Running causes 0.70 injuries per 100,000 participants per year, golf causes 1.25 injuries, and fitness classes cause just 0.10 injuries.
Among the most popular sports, football has the highest injury rate (6.56 injuries per 100,000 participants/year), but the number of injuries is also relatively low. Motorsport, equestrian sports and gliding (paragliding and hang gliding) were by far the riskiest of the sports studied, with motorsport causing 532 injuries per 100,000 participants, equestrian sports 235 injuries and gliding 191 injuries.
Men have a higher injury rate (6.4 injuries per 100,000 people per year) than women (3.3 injuries per 100,000 people per year).
Why are sports becoming more risky?
Perhaps worryingly, the risk of injury in internationally popular sports and other physical activities is increasing. Taking the Australian state of Victoria as an example, between 2004 and 2010, the annual growth rate of sports injuries treated in hospitals was 24%, and the incidence rate of sports-related major trauma or death was 12.2 cases per 100,000 participants/year.
This trend is also reflected in the UK. Figures from one regional trauma and spine unit show the incidence of serious motorsport accidents increased by almost 500 per cent in the five years to 2015.
Dr Madi Davies, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bath, said: "When I looked at the injuries recorded in 2012 - the year the study started - it was clear that the risk was much lower than in later years of the study."
She called for further research "in real time" to understand exactly why and how more people are injured: "While finding that more people are injured may be multifactorial - recording of trauma data improved during the study period, meaning more injuries are now recorded - it is important to respond to any increase in burden and use the data to make activities safer."
Serious injury is a clear burden for hospital participants, their families and the NHS, and this study aims to reduce these burdens by analyzing the risk of injury for each activity and then coordinating action.
Dr Williams said: "Many sports and recreation injuries are preventable. Whether through protective equipment, changes in rules or laws, or through education, once we identify how and where injuries occur, we can start thinking about how to prevent injuries in every sport. We hope this work will lead to the establishment of a national register, with real-time data analysis opportunities. The register will provide a standardized record of serious injuries caused by sport and physical activity, so that risk trends or patterns can be quickly identified and acted upon."
Trampoline safety is one example. Garden trampolines went on sale in 2005 and by 2014, as many as 250,000 had been sold in the UK. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), working in partnership with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has seen a spike in trampoline-related injuries and has made recommendations to improve safety, including limiting trampolines to one person at a time, banning trampolines for children under six and purchasing trampolines with safety nets.
Additionally, trampoline manufacturers are being supported in meeting safety standards, such as adding padding around the trampoline. Commercial partners are also involved to improve trampoline park safety. Under the guidance of RoSPA, serious accidents have been significantly reduced.
Professor Keith Stokes and Dr Carly McKay from the Department of Health at the University of Bath are also involved in the sports-related injuries project. The research was carried out in partnership with a number of charities, universities and organizations, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Sport England.
Compiled source: ScitechDaily