Abstract
Although early sports specialization is associated with sports-related injuries, relevant quantitative studies on young non-elite athletes, the majority of sports participants, are scarce. We described sports specialization time points and the characteristics of sports-related injuries. Undergraduate students at a university in Japan (n = 830) recalled their history of sports participation from elementary to high school and sports-related injuries in a self-administered questionnaire. Of 570 valid respondents, 486 (85%) engaged in sports at least once. Significantly more respondents played multiple sports in upper elementary school (30%) than in other school categories (1–23%). In junior high and high schools, 90% and 99% played only one sport, respectively. Of the 486 respondents who played sports, 263 (54%) had experienced acute or overuse injuries. The proportion of injured participants significantly differed by school category: lower elementary school (4%), upper elementary school (21%), junior high (35%), and high school (41%). The proportions of acute or overuse injuries in males were higher than those in females. In conclusion, this study clarified a slight variation in sports items, particularly in junior high and high schools, which demonstrates 13 years as the age of beginning specialization in a single sport. More than half of the non-elite athletes experienced sports-related injuries. Injuries were frequently observed in males and those in junior high and high schools.
Highlights
As of 2015, in Japan, 57.3% of students aged 10–19 years participated in extra-curricular activities in schools or community/commercial-based sports clubs [1]
The participants’ characteristics are summarized in Table 1, demonstrating that male participants were significantly larger in height, weight, and Body mass index (BMI) than the national averages, whereas female participants were smaller in weight and BMI than the national averages [20]
We found that the proportion of those participating in multiple sports was27%)
Summary
As of 2015, in Japan, 57.3% of students aged 10–19 years participated in extra-curricular activities in schools (called Bukatsu in Japanese) or community/commercial-based sports clubs [1]. Sports activities are accompanied by sports-related injuries, which are affected by various factors, such as age, skeletal maturity, strength, range of motion, and skill level [2]. The amount of time spent on sports is a risk factor for sports-related injuries [3]. Control study revealed that young athletes aged between 7 and 18 years who were trained in weekly hours exceeding their age were significantly more likely to be injured [4]. Sports specialization is another potential risk factor [5], which occurs when athletes participate in a single sport and often year-round [6]. Young athletes believe that specialization increases their chances of getting injured (45.8% of the entire sample), with 90.0% and
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