The frequency and nature of sports injuries depend primarily on the specific sport that an individual play. In this article we review systematic reviews to identify and highlight the most prevalent injuries in basketball, football, volleyball, ice hockey, rugby, and handball. We collected data on the prevalence rates of the most common injuries across these sports, revealing that the most common injuries are lateral ankle sprains, concussions, hamstring strains, quadriceps strains, and various internal knee derangements. Notably, the majority of these injuries affect the lower extremities, which are under the most stress during athletic activities. We also provide insights into preventive measures for the three most common injuries. This compilation of data from different sports will prove valuable to kinesiologists, coaches, and sports professionals, helping them to develop comprehensive training programs aimed at preventing injury and improving overall athletic performance.
Agel, J., Dick, R., Nelson, B., Marshall, S., & Dompier, T. (2007). Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey Injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System. Journal of Athletic Training, 2, 249–254.
Agel, J., Dompier, T., Dick, R., & Marshall, S. (2007). Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Men’s Ice Hockey Injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System. Journal of Athletic Training, 2, 241–248.
Andreoli, C., Chiaramonti, B., Biruel, E., Pochini, A., De, C., Ejnisman, B., & Cohen, M. (2018). Epidemiology of sports injuries in basketball: Integrative systematic review. BMJ Open Sport -Exercise Medicine, 1, 468. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000468
Cruz-Ferreira, A., Cruz-Ferreira, E., Santiago, L., & Taborda Barata, L. (2017). Epidemiology of injuries in senior male rugby union sevens: A systematic review. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 1, 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2017.1248224
Deitch, J., Starkey, C., Walters, S., & Moseley, J. (2006). Injury Risk in Professional Basketball Players: A Comparison of Women’s National Basketball Association and National Basketball Association Athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 7, 1077–1083. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546505285383
Drakos, M., Domb, B., Starkey, C., Callahan, L., & Allen, A. (2010). Injury in the National Basketball Association. Sports Health, 4, 284–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738109357303
Freitag, A., Kirkwood, G., Scharer, S., Ofori-Asenso, R., & Pollock, A. (2015). Systematic review of rugby injuries in children and adolescents under 21 years. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 8, 511–519. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-093684
Jones, S., Almousa, S., Gibb, A., Allamby, N., Mullen, R., Andersen, T., & Williams, M. (2019). Injury Incidence, Prevalence and Severity in High-Level Male Youth Football: A Systematic Review. Quality of Life Journal, 12, 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01169-8Exercise
Larruskain, J., Lekue, J., Diaz, N., Odriozola, A., & Gil, S. (2018). A comparison of injuries in elite male and female football players: A five-season prospective study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 1, 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12860
Maccormick, L., Best, T., & Flanigan, D. (2014). Are There Differences in Ice Hockey Injuries Between Sexes? Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 1, 2325967113518181. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967113518181
Mayhew, L., Johnson, M., Francis, P., Lutter, C., Alali, A., & Jones, G. (2021). Incidence of injury in adult elite women’s football: A systematic review and metaanalysis. BMJ Open Sport -Exercise Medicine, 3, 1094. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001094
Meeuwisse, W., Sellmer, R., & Hagel, B. (2003). Rates and Risks of Injury during Intercollegiate Basketball. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 3, 379–385. https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465030310030901
Mónaco, M., Rincón, J., Ronsano, B., Whiteley, R., Sanz-Lopez, F., & Rodas, G. (2019). Injury incidence and injury patterns by category, player position, and maturation in elite male handball elite players. Biology of Sport, 1, 67–74. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2018.78908
Tondelli, E., Boerio, C., Andreu, M., & Antinori, S. (2022). Impact, incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in senior amateur male rugby: Epidemiological study. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 3, 269–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2021.1924045
Vila, H., Barreiro, A., Ayán, C., Antúnez, A., & Ferragut, C. (2022). The Most Common Handball Injuries: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 10688. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710688
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.