The Prevalence of Injuries in Outdoor Sports

Outdoor sports, whether it's running on a trail, cycling through the mountains, or rafting a river, have become a popular way for people to stay active, explore nature, and engage with their communities. While outdoor sports can improve health and well-being, they also carry a risk: injury. Understanding the prevalence, types, and causes of injuries in outdoor sports can help athletes take preventive measures, optimize their performance, and enjoy their activities safely.

The Scope of Injury in Outdoor Sports

Outdoor sports cover a broad range of activities, from endurance-based pursuits like hiking, running, and cycling, to adventure sports like rock climbing, kayaking, and skiing. While each of these sports has its own injury profile, the highest rates of injuries are found in those learning the sport and experts (1,3). Outdoor recreation professionals are dependent on being physically capable and healthy to keep their job, however they are more likely to be injured while recreating or working. This is likely due to the increased intensity, frequency, and increased demands. Despite the increased injury rate, these professionals may be less likely to address their pain and injuries because of lack of access to healthcare, limited time, or fear of losing their job. Being able to reduce injury risks, assess severity, and manage injuries independently may increase the longevity of their career.

Types of Injuries

The types of injuries sustained in outdoor sports vary, but most tend to fall into a few broad categories:

1. Overuse Injuries: Chronic overuse injuries, such as tendinitis, stress fractures, and sprains/strains, are particularly common in endurance sports like running and cycling. However they can occur in any activity that involves repetitive movement for extended periods of time. The injury is due to a lack of adaptation to an increase in load and creates a breakdown of musculoskeletal tissues. Modifiable factors to help decrease risk include, movement patterns, fitness, nutrition, and training volume/intensity/frequency (2). Learning how to support primarily muscles with stabilizing muscles and implementing cross training allows your body to load muscles appropriately. Additionally, providing your body with sufficient rest and recovery is key to avoiding these injuries.

   
   

2. Trauma and Acute Injuries: Trauma-related injuries like strains/sprains, fractures, and contusions are often the result of sudden impacts or falls. In outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and mountain biking, the terrain and environmental factors like weather or visibility often contribute to these types of injuries. These injuries occur in a spectrum of severity. Learning when an injury can be independently managed or when an injury needs medical assistance is crucial to receiving effective care. If the injury is independently manageable, knowing how to appropriately proceed may be the difference between tolerating the rest of the season vs enjoying the rest of the season.

   
   

3. Environmental Factors: Many outdoor sports take place in unpredictable environments, such as mountains, forests, or rivers, where the risk of accidents increases due to weather conditions, visibility, and uneven surfaces. For example, trail runners face a heightened risk of sprained ankles, fractures, and falls due to uneven, rocky, or slippery terrain. Knowing what injuries you’re at higher risk for, taking steps to decrease the odds of injury and preparing for best initial response will benefit your long term recovery.

   
   

4. Environmental Exposure: Other types of injuries in outdoor sports are related to exposure to the elements. Sunburns, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hypothermia are more likely in certain climates or when athletes don't adequately prepare for changing weather conditions. Proper nutrition and hydration prior to larger objectives will set an athlete up for success while packing appropriately will keep the athlete healthy while performing in the mountains.

   
   

Preventing Injuries in Outdoor Sports

Injury prevention in outdoor sports revolves around preparation, awareness, and smart choices. Some effective strategies include:

• Warm-ups and Stretching: A proper warm-up before engaging in any sport, particularly endurance sports, can reduce the risk of strains and sprains. Research indicates that dynamic stretches and muscle activation exercises can help prepare the body for more strenuous activities. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a long routine, just something that “wakes up the body” to decrease the shock of going from stationary to active.

  
  

• Training: Gradually increasing the intensity, duration, and difficulty of outdoor sports, can help prevent overuse injuries. Periodization, a training approach that cycles between high-intensity and lower-intensity phases, is often recommended to avoid burnout and reduce injury risk. Cross Training, the act of varying activities or exercises to create balanced strength throughout the body and decrease excessive stress in a localized area, is another method of reducing injury risk.

  
  

• Rest and Recovery: Adequate rest and recovery are essential to prevent overuse injuries. Active recovery, proper sleep, and cross-training can all help athletes maintain a balance between pushing their limits and giving their bodies time to heal.

  
  

• Environmental Awareness: Athletes should always consider the weather, terrain, and conditions before heading out. Using weather apps, checking trail reports, and wearing appropriate clothing and protective gear for different environmental conditions can help reduce the risk of injury.

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Outdoor sports are not only fun and invigorating but are also a great way to stay healthy and engage with nature. However, as with any physical activity, they come with risks. The prevalence of injuries in outdoor sports is significant, with a wide range of acute, overuse, and environmental-related injuries reported each year. By understanding the types of injuries, the factors that contribute to them, the best prevention strategies, and how to rebound from them, athletes can make informed decisions that allow them to enjoy outdoor sports safely and effectively. Proper preseason training, awareness of injury severity and returning to activity, and a respectful approach to environmental hazards are the key to reducing the risk of injury and staying active in the great outdoors for years to come.

References

1. O. Mei-Dan, and M. Carmont. Adventure and Extreme Sports Injuries : Epidemiology, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention. 2017, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Adventure-and-extreme-sports-injuries-%3A-treatment%2C-Mei-Dan-Carmont/2edacd82214c564cc47748b3d1418dd57c09397b. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.

2. Orejel Bustos, Amaranta, et al. “Overuse-Related Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System: Systematic Review and Quantitative Synthesis of Injuries, Locations, Risk Factors and Assessment Techniques.” Sensors, vol. 21, no. 7, 1 Apr. 2021, p. 2438, https://doi.org/10.3390/s21072438. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.

3. Laver, Lior, et al. “Injuries in Extreme Sports.” Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, vol. 12, no. 1, 18 Apr. 2017, josr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13018-017-0560-9, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-017-0560-9.