New figures from the National Institute of Public Health reveal that the number of younger Danes who sustained a sports injury last year has increased dramatically.
The figures showed that the number of Danes aged 16-24 injured during sports or athletics has almost doubled since 2000 and almost every fifth young person was struck by a sports injury last year. Expert points to more young people going to fitness centres as the main reason.
“More people lifting weights can lead to more injuries because the young people want to be as strong as possible,” Uffe Jørgensen, a professor in sports-related injuries at Odense University Hospital (OUH), told Metroxpress newspaper.
“We also often see young people who have been walking around with a sports injury for a while. It’s very important to seek help quickly, or the consequences can be very serious.”
READ MORE: Danes increasingly injuring themselves at fitness centres
Fitness fracas
The figures also documented that in 4.2 percent of the cases last year the injury was long-term.
Last November, figures from insurance firm Top Danmark showed that the number of people who reported sustaining an injury following a fitness session had increased in just a few short years by 30 percent to 276 last year.
According to the Accident Analysis Group at OUH, the sports with the most injuries in relation to the number of registered participants included ice hockey, motor cross/speedway, handball, basketball and volleyball.
