A one-year hospital-based analysis of sports injuries

Abstract

Objectives: (1) To survey and analyse the pattern of sports injuries; (2) to make implication from the results. Methodology: Subjects with sports injuries attending the emergency department of Princess Margaret Hospital in 2006 were retrieved via the Injury Surveillance System. The characteristics of the subjects and their injuries were evaluated. Results: In 2006, 709 subjects had sports injuries, from which 83% were male. The median age was 19. Age below 20 accounted for 53% of the attendance. Football (35%), basketball (25%) and cycling (9%) were the three commonest sport-injury activities. All sports injuries had the maximum AIS ≤ and 83% had MAIS of 1 only. Overall, 39% had contusion and scrape, 36% with sprain and strain, and 18% had fracture. Nearly half (47%) had lower limb injury; 30% and 24% had upper limb injury and head injury respectively. Contusion and scrape of the head, and sprain and strain of the lower limb were the two commonest injuries in football and basketball. In cycling, two-thirds suffered from contusion and scrape of any body region and 57% of those involved the head. Conclusion: Sports injury surveillance with characterised patterns of injuries helped to devise prevention measures.