Sports Injury and Sport Safety Practices among Undergraduate Sports Participants
Sports Injury and Safety among Undergraduate Sports
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/tt.v6i2.277Keywords:
Sports Injury, Sport Safety Practices, Undergraduate Sports ParticipantsAbstract
Sports participation among university students offers physical and psychological benefits but also poses a risk of injuries. Limited adherence to safety measures further increases vulnerability, particularly in contact and high-intensity sports. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of sports injuries and safety practices among undergraduate sports participants. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 377 male and female at different universities in Karachi using a self-administered questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained, and consent forms were filled out by participants. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze data and calculate frequencies and percentages. Results: Among 377 participants, 59.2% were male and 40.8% female, aged 18–25 years. A majority (51.2%) reported injuries, with the hand (10.6%) and muscles (9.8%) being most affected. Only 41.6% reported using safety equipment, while 59.9% used none. Warm-up and cool-down routines were practiced by 70.8% and 61.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Sports injuries are common among undergraduate participants, while safety equipment use remains low despite awareness of warm-up and cool-down practices. Findings highlight the urgent need for universities to strengthen safety protocols and provide education on injury prevention to safeguard student-athletes.
References
Wekesser MM, Harris BS, Langdon J, Wilson Jr CH. Coaches’ Impact on Youth Athletes’ Intentions to Continue Sport Participation: The Mediational Influence of the Coach–Athlete Relationship. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching. 2021 Jun; 16(3): 490-9. doi: 10.1177/1747954121991817.
Brenner JS and Watson A. Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes. Pediatrics. 2024 Jan; 153(2): e2023065129. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-065129.
James J, Pringle A, Mourton S, Roscoe CM. The Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review. Children. 2023 Jun; 10(6): 1019. doi: 10.3390/children10061019.
Piñeiro-Cossio J, Fernández-Martínez A, Nuviala A, Pérez-Ordás R. Psychological Wellbeing in Physical Education and School Sports: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 Feb; 18(3): 864. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18030864.
Kwon J and Jang J. Impact of Participation in Sports Safety Education on Sports Injuries, Sports Safety Awareness, and Sports Activity Habits among Young Korean Athletes. Medicine. 2025 Feb; 104(8): e41589. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000041589.
Caine D, Caine C, Maffulli N. Incidence and Distribution of Pediatric Sport-Related Injuries. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 2006 Nov; 16(6): 500-13. doi: 10.1097/01.jsm.0000251181.36582.a0.
Nair R, Rajasekar S, Abraham A, Samuel AJ. Awareness among Indian Professional Football Players About Injury Prevention Strategies: A National Survey. Journal of Clinical Orthopedics and Trauma. 2018 Mar; 9(S1): S76–S79. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2017.11.007.
Ross AG, Donaldson A, Poulos RG. Nationwide Sports Injury Prevention Strategies: A Scoping Review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 2021 Feb; 31(2): 246–264. doi: 10.1111/sms.13858.
Quinn E. Essential Safety Equipment for Sports. Prevent Sports Injuries with Basic Sports Safety Equipment. Verywell Fit. 2022 Apr. https://www.verywellfit.com/essential-safety-equipment-for-sports-3120458.
Williams S, Whatman C, Hume PA, Sheerin K. Kinesio Taping in Treatment and Prevention of Sports Injuries: A Meta-Analysis of the Evidence for Its Effectiveness. Sports Medicine. 2012 Feb; 42(2): 153-64. doi: 10.2165/11594960-000000000-00000.
Black AM, Meeuwisse DW, Eliason PH, Hagel BE, Emery CA. Sport Participation and Injury Rates in High School Students: A Canadian Survey of 2029 Adolescents. Journal of Safety Research. 2021 Sep; 78: 314-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2021.06.008.
Kitayama A, Ishii K, Shibata A, Yasunaga A, Clark B, Owen N et al. Validity and Reliability of A Self-Administered Questionnaire for 24-Hour Movement Behaviors. Journal of Epidemiology. 2025: JE20250185. doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20250185.
Champawat VS, Santoshi JA, Tiwari A, Behera P, Selvanayagam R, Verma VK. Sports-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries in Medical Students. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2024 Jan; 28(1): 65-70. doi: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_111_23.
Fridman L, Fraser-Thomas JL, McFaull SR, Macpherson AK. Epidemiology of Sports-Related Injuries in Children and Youth Presenting to Canadian Emergency Departments from 2007–2010. Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy, and Technology. 2013 Dec; 5(1): 30. doi: 10.1186/2052-1847-5-30.
Foss KD, Myer GD, Hewett TE. Epidemiology of Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball Injuries in Middle-School Female Athletes. The Physician and Sports Medicine. 2014 May; 42(2): 146-53. doi: 10.3810/psm.2014.05.2066.
Gulanes AA, Fadare SA, Pepania JE, Hanima CO. Preventing Sports Injuries: A Review of Evidence-Based Strategies and Interventions. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología. 2024; 2024(4): 951. doi: 10.56294/saludcyt2024951.
Marwat MK, Hussain F, Zia-ul-Islam S, Jabeen A, Ali Y, Saman S et al. Awareness of the Players Regarding Safety Measures and Risk Management in Cricket. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results. 2023 Apr; 14(2).
Adirim TA and Cheng TL. Overview of Injuries in the Young Athlete. Sports Medicine. 2003 Jan; 33(1): 75-81. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200333010-00006.
Stracciolini A, Sugimoto D, Howell DR. Injury Prevention in Youth Sports. Pediatric Annals. 2017 Mar; 46(3): e99-105. doi: 10.3928/19382359-20170223-01.
Naderi A, Shaabani F, Keikha M, Degens H. Is an Exercise-Based Injury-Prevention Program Effective in Team Handball Players? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Athletic Training. 2024 Aug; 59(8): 845-56. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0680.22.
Jo KH, Lee SM, So WY, Lee EJ. Mediating Effect of Sports Safety Awareness Between Sports Activity Habits and the Intention to Complete Safety Education among Korean Adolescents. In Healthcare. 2023 Jun; 11(13): 1891. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11131891.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 THE THERAPIST (Journal of Therapies & Rehabilitation Sciences)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments editor@thetherapist.com.pk