400,000 Dutch quit sports in two years due to injury
In the past two years, 400,000 Dutch people permanently stopped playing sports due to an injury, according to figures published by VeiligheidNL, the RIVM, and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Wednesday.
About 9 million people practiced a sport every week last year. 4.3 million of them suffered an injury. The knee is by far the most injured part of the body, accounting for 21 percent of all injuries, followed by the ankle (13 percent) and back (9 percent).
Football had relatively the most people sidelined by an injury, followed by running. Fitness is in a distant third. Runners and footballers were the most likely to be injured to the extent that they had to stop playing permanently.
“The figures for sports absence due to injuries show that there is still much to gain,” said Hans Tol, a professor of sports medicine at the Amsterdam UMC. He thinks this number can be reduced with effective prevention, a correct diagnosis, and treatment. “It seems that our knowledge in the field of prevention and treatment of sports injuries is still not being applied sufficiently.”
“It is fantastic to see that the number of athletes in the Netherlands continues to grow. But it is worrying that so many people drop out due to injuries,” said Guido Davia of the sports umbrella organization NOC-NSF. “By also focusing on prevention and effective recovery, we can ensure that more people continue to exercise and make maximum use of the positive effects of exercise.”
Dave Baars of Running Holland, a running school in Amsterdam, told NOS that many injuries happen because people are overeager and don’t listen to their bodies. “Ambitious people are often very disciplined. They want too much, follow a training schedule, but don’t listen to their bodies properly. That’s when things go wrong.”
Part of the training he gives his coaches is to start with a fitness inventory. “At the start of the training, the coach must ask people if they suffer from anything.” Because the way you handle aches and pains can prevent them from becoming an injury. “For example, if you have a stiff calf, you should not train. If you do, it can become an Achilles injury.”
