Contact sports and injury

A year long survey of sports injuries in the accident and emergency department of St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny revealed 864 injuries, with hurling and soccer accounting for 41% and 23% respectively. In hurling, lacerations to face and scalp, and fractures of the wrist and hand, accounted for a large number of the injuries seen, while in soccer bruising and sprains of the lower limbs accounted for the majority of the injuries. We make some recommendations for avoidance of these injuries. We show clearly that non-accidental or deliberately inflicted injury forms a significant proportion of sport injuries and recommended steps to curb non-accidental injuries.