Did You Know: Interesting Sports Injury Statistics in Australia

Australians have long been known for their ability to play and enjoy any sport – from the most staple sports like soccer, to more niche sports like netball. As a result, Australians are also more prone to sustaining sports injuries and having to undergo sports injury recovery processes as well. 

In light of increasing alternative sports injury recovery treatments (such as traditional Chinese medicine and chiropractic care), below are a few interesting sports injury statistics!

Sports Injury Demographics

When it comes to the demographics of Australians who sustain sports injuries, unsurprisingly, the most common group (for sports injuries which result in hospitalisation) is males aged between 15 to 24. The second highest group is also understandably males between 25 to 44 years.

Between 2016 and 2017, there were 817 per 100,000 (population) cases of hospitalised sports injuries in males between 15 and 24 years of age, and 392 per 100,000 (population) cases in males between 25 to 44 years. Female individuals in the same age group experienced significantly fewer cases of sport injury hospitalisations, with the largest group being females aged 15 to 24 years at 280 per 100,000 (population).

Sports Injury Types

Sports injury types can be divided into two categories – the sport played in which the injury was sustained, and the exact type of sports injury.

Most Common Sport Associated with Injury Hospitalisations

Top five for males (recorded between 2016 and 2017):

1. Football: 16,001 cases (38.1%)
2. Cycling: 5,062 cases (12.1%)
3. Wheeled motorsports: 3,451 cases (8.2%)
4. Netball/basketball: 2,082 cases (5.0%)
5. Roller sports: 1,860 cases (4.4%)

Top five for females (recorded between 2016 and 2017):

1. Football: 2,480 cases (15.0%)
2. Netball /basketball: 2,109 cases (12.8%)
3. Equestrian activities: 1,872 (11.3%)
4. Cycling: 1,190 (7.2%)
5. Skiing, ice skating and snowboarding: 697 cases (4.2%)

Most Common Sports Injury Type

When it comes to the most common type of sports injury, fractures make up the largest proportion of hospitalised injuries at 52%. The next most common sports injury only makes up 17% and 7%, in soft tissue injuries and intracranial injuries (concussions, diffuse brain injuries, focal brain injuries, etc.) respectively. Open wounds also amount to 6% of sports injuries.

Looking into fractures, 28% of them are in the hip and lower limbs. In addition, 24% of injuries are in the shoulder and upper limbs. Head and neck injuries are next in commonality when it comes to fractures at 14%, however much more frequent in males than females. Injuries in the wrist and hand makeup 9% of sports injuries, and are also much more common in males than females.

Want to learn more about sports injury complications and viable treatment methods? Consider contacting a qualified health practitioner and booking a consultation to get all your questions answered! Sports injuries are common issues addressed by chiropractors, so visiting a local chiropractor may be a good option to consider.