ABSTRACT
Practicing sports regularly has a known positive impact on the well-being of individuals; however, it exposes individuals to sports-related injuries. To date, scarce epidemiological studies are available about the prevalence of sports-related injuries in Saudi Arabia
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sports injuries among basketball and soccer players in Jeddah, and to compare the number and the severity of sports-related injuries between different types of sports.
Patients and Methods: It was a crosssectional study conducted on 1054 participants aged between 10 and 60 years with sports-related injuries. Data were collected via personal interview or online surveys and analyzed using SPSS
Results: Males constituted 79.9% of participants. The median age of the sample was 24.8 +/- 7.8. 50% of injuries were related to soccer, 34% to basketball, and only 2% to swimming. Recreational practice constituted 78.9% of injuries, whereas 12.9% were professional and 8.5% were collegiate practitioners. About 38% were injured three-four times. Practicing for 2-4 hours weekly had the highest risk of injury, 62%, while the lowest rate was among practitioners for 11- 14 hours weekly. 49% got injured outdoors. Ankle, knee, and hands and fingers injuries constituted 40%, 46%, and 27%, respectively. Twisting was the mechanism of injury in 56%. Over 50% needed rest for 1-4 weeks only
Conclusions: Soccer was the most common sport associated with injury. Recreational practice, few weekly hours, and outdoor practice had the highest risks. Twisting, ankle sprains, and ligamentous injuries were the most prevalent