Sports injuries in elderly athletes: a three-year prospective, controlled study

A 3-year prospective, controlled study of sports injuries in elderly athletes (over 60 years of age) treated at an outpatient sports clinic was carried out in order to determine the number, profile, and specific features of these injuries compared with those of young athletes (between 21 and 25 years). During the study period, 57 elderly and 457 young adult athletes visited the clinic. The majority of the patients in both groups were male (83% of the veterans and 85% of the young). Forty-eight veterans (84%) were endurance sportsmen, while only 115 of the young patients (25%) went in for endurance sports. In both groups the knee joint was most frequently affected, in the young athletes (36%) more frequently than in the elderly (21%). In the elderly athletes shoulder (18%) as well as Achilles tendon and calf (20%) complaints were significantly more common than among young athletes (7% and 5%, respectively). Most (70%) of the injuries in the elderly were overuse injuries, but these comprised only 41% in the young.