What Are The Most Common Olympics Injuries?

“1 out of every 10 athletes sustained an injury of some sort.”

The 2022 Winter Olympics are officially in full swing this year in Beijing. It may be tough to keep up with the current stats on each and every sport, but they each have their own team of amazing athletes working hard and pushing their bodies to make it as far as they can in weather conditions that are not the best and at speeds far greater than the normal athlete. 

Olympic Athletes train for months and even years for these events, often with a full team of trainers and coaches, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe from injury. In fact there are too many Olympics injuries to count. In last winter’s Olympics, 1 out of every 10 athletes sustained an injury of some sort. 

We’ve put together a list of some of the most common Olympics injuries below.

Muscle Injuries

Muscular injuries such as strains, pulls and tears are common in athletes in almost every sport - some may say it’s part of the job. Muscle injuries are a result of pressure on the muscles and tendons causing swelling, muscle pain and bruising.

Concussions

Concussions are caused by an impact to the head and cause symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, issues with balance and headaches. 

Fractures

Fractures, or a broken bone, are very common in Olympic athletes, especially in the Winter Olympics. Many of the sports are on ice, such as Ice hockey, Skiing, Skating and Snowboarding. Athletes are competing at such high speeds that can potentially cause accidents and crashes.

Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries affect the joints or muscles essentially anywhere on the body and are caused by repetitive motions. As mentioned, athletes often practice for weeks, months, or even years in preparation for the Olympics, so it is not surprising for their body to retaliate. With overuse injuries often rest and physical therapy are the best courses of action. 

While all Olympic sports carry their own risks of injury associated with them, training and preparation for the body and athlete are the best ways to avoid serious injury. Some sports inherently come with more of a risk than others. If Olympic injuries are not your thing, professional curling may be the best way to go!