Risk Factors Associated with Sports Participation
Risk factor is any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the
likelihood of developing a disease or injury.
Intrinsic factors are the factors which occur within the body. It is also the physical aspect of
the athlete’s body that can cause injury.
Extrinsic factors are the factors which are outside the body. Risk factor external to the body,
that causes injury.
Intrinsic Risk Factors
Some examples of these factors which fit under the intrinsic factor category include poor
preparation such as a warm up, fitness level, flexibility, previous injuries, age and diet.
First of all, age has a big impact on injury. It is said that up to the age of 35 the human
bodies are still building up in terms of bone, muscle strength and fitness levels. However,
after the age of 35 that changes because the body starts to lose its efficiency and affects the
overall performance if there is a decrease in the amount of exercise. Therefore, athletes that
hit the 35 mark have a greater chance of injuring themselves. Although, if the athlete
maintains their training levels they are more than likely to stay in the sport for a longer
period.
Secondly, flexibility is an intrinsic risk factor, the less flexible you are the more chance you
have of pulling a muscle whilst performing exercise. That’s why it’s crucial for sportsmen to
be very flexible as they are working at a high intensity level. In order to be flexible, you could
attend yoga classes or do various stretches at home.
Previous injuries could have a greater impact on new injuries. If you came back to training
from an injury too early then you are very likely to get injured again, this is because your
body wouldn’t be prepared for high intensity workouts. Therefore, you must strengthen the
area of injury and prepare yourself well before making a comeback into the sport.
Poor preparation before a competitive competition is very negative for your body, causing an
injury very easily. Hence, every athlete should warm up correctly in order to prepare their
muscles well.
Extrinsic Risk Factors
Examples that fit under the extrinsic factor category are, weather, poor coaching of
technique, incorrect equipment, environmental factors and ensuring knowledge of the rules
and regulations. They are all out of our control.
Incorrect equipment can increase the risk of injuries to athletes. As an example, if a
footballer is wearing astro turf shoes whilst playing in rain he can badly injure himself by
slipping over. Therefore, it’s important to wear correct equipment in every sport.
Another extrinsic risk factor is weather. Extreme temperatures can have a negative effect on
an athlete’s performance due to the effect on the physiological aspects of the body. Heat
causes sweating, dehydration and heat exhaustion of the body whereas the cold makes it
difficult for the cardiovascular and muscular systems to maintain the correct temperatures.
Safety hazards are another risk factor, especially when it comes to features such as goal
nets not being secured in football. For example a goalkeeper could trap his arm in the goal
net whilst making a save or trip over it and hit his head on the post. This can do a lot of
serious damage to individuals.
Poor coaching techniques have an impact on sporting injuries. If an individual is going to
carry out the same technique that his unqualified coach taught him from early days, he has a
Risk factor is any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the
likelihood of developing a disease or injury.
Intrinsic factors are the factors which occur within the body. It is also the physical aspect of
the athlete’s body that can cause injury.
Extrinsic factors are the factors which are outside the body. Risk factor external to the body,
that causes injury.
Intrinsic Risk Factors
Some examples of these factors which fit under the intrinsic factor category include poor
preparation such as a warm up, fitness level, flexibility, previous injuries, age and diet.
First of all, age has a big impact on injury. It is said that up to the age of 35 the human
bodies are still building up in terms of bone, muscle strength and fitness levels. However,
after the age of 35 that changes because the body starts to lose its efficiency and affects the
overall performance if there is a decrease in the amount of exercise. Therefore, athletes that
hit the 35 mark have a greater chance of injuring themselves. Although, if the athlete
maintains their training levels they are more than likely to stay in the sport for a longer
period.
Secondly, flexibility is an intrinsic risk factor, the less flexible you are the more chance you
have of pulling a muscle whilst performing exercise. That’s why it’s crucial for sportsmen to
be very flexible as they are working at a high intensity level. In order to be flexible, you could
attend yoga classes or do various stretches at home.
Previous injuries could have a greater impact on new injuries. If you came back to training
from an injury too early then you are very likely to get injured again, this is because your
body wouldn’t be prepared for high intensity workouts. Therefore, you must strengthen the
area of injury and prepare yourself well before making a comeback into the sport.
Poor preparation before a competitive competition is very negative for your body, causing an
injury very easily. Hence, every athlete should warm up correctly in order to prepare their
muscles well.
Extrinsic Risk Factors
Examples that fit under the extrinsic factor category are, weather, poor coaching of
technique, incorrect equipment, environmental factors and ensuring knowledge of the rules
and regulations. They are all out of our control.
Incorrect equipment can increase the risk of injuries to athletes. As an example, if a
footballer is wearing astro turf shoes whilst playing in rain he can badly injure himself by
slipping over. Therefore, it’s important to wear correct equipment in every sport.
Another extrinsic risk factor is weather. Extreme temperatures can have a negative effect on
an athlete’s performance due to the effect on the physiological aspects of the body. Heat
causes sweating, dehydration and heat exhaustion of the body whereas the cold makes it
difficult for the cardiovascular and muscular systems to maintain the correct temperatures.
Safety hazards are another risk factor, especially when it comes to features such as goal
nets not being secured in football. For example a goalkeeper could trap his arm in the goal
net whilst making a save or trip over it and hit his head on the post. This can do a lot of
serious damage to individuals.
Poor coaching techniques have an impact on sporting injuries. If an individual is going to
carry out the same technique that his unqualified coach taught him from early days, he has a
