The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has found that 7,700 fewer Australians were admitted to hospital for injuries related to playing sport in 2019-20 than they did the year before.
The AIHW Report, Sports Injury Hospitalisations in Australia, 2019–20, shows the COVID-19 restrictions on organised sport from March 2020 played a major part in fewer hospitalisations for winter team sports, while those for solo activities such as cycling rose.
Spokesperson for the AIHW, Marissa Veld said 52,300 Australians were hospitalised for sport injuries in 2019-20, compared with 60,000 in 2018-19.
“The most significant decrease in hospitalisations was seen among the traditional winter sports, with a 46 per cent drop in AFL-related injuries, followed by 43 per cent fewer rugby league and union injuries and 34 per cent fewer soccer injuries,” Ms Veld said.
“However, as Australians turned to solo activities in early 2020, there was a marked increase in the number of people hospitalised for roller sport and cycling injuries, recording a 27 per cent and 21 per cent increase respectively,” she said.
Ms Veld said overall, the sports responsible for the most hospitalisations in 2019-20 all involved wheels — cycling accounted for around 15 per cent of those admitted to hospital, followed by wheeled motor sports (seven per cent) and roller sports (seven per cent).
She said for all sports combined, most injuries were to the hips and legs (28 per cent), followed by the shoulder and arms (26 per cent), with just over half of all hospitalisations for fractures.
Ms Veld said there were more than twice as many males (36,400) hospitalised for sports injuries than females (15,900) during the period.
The AIHW’s 56-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
