Who Gets Sports Injuries?

Anyone can suffer a sports injury, but several factors can increase the risk of sustaining injury.

The risk factors for sports injuries include:

• Not using the correct exercise techniques.
• Overtraining, either by training too often, too frequently, or for too long.
• Changing the intensity of physical activity too quickly.
• Playing the same sport year-round.
• Running or jumping on hard surfaces.
• Wearing shoes that do not have enough support.
• Not wearing the proper equipment.
• Having had a prior injury.
• Having certain anatomical features specific to each joint or poor flexibility.
• Taking certain medications, such as fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics linked to tendinitis and tendon rupture.

The type of injury you are most vulnerable to depends on the type of activity you participate in, your age, and your sex.