Injury Prevention in Exercise and Sport

Despite the well-documented physical, psychological, and social benefits of physical activity, whether the activity is informal, as in self-directed recreational or leisure activities such as walking, cycling, gardening, golf, or skiing, or in the form of organized sports, the body in motion entails the risk of injury. Recent studies estimate that approximately 20% of all injuries treated in emergency rooms in the United States each year are activity related and involve approximately 7 million people. However, the total number requiring professional medical care for activity-related injuries in the Unites States annually is at least double this estimate. To ensure that the positive gains from physical activity are not undermined by pain and loss of function resulting from injury and to minimize the financial burden of ...