High Prevalence of Sports-Related Injuries Among Medical Student-Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract University sports participation provides physical, psychological, and social benefits, but medical student-athletes may be exposed to a substantial burden of musculoskeletal injuries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, anatomical distribution, and factors associated with sports-related musculoskeletal injuries among medical student-athletes. Cross-sectional study. Medical students participating in university sports teams completed a standardized, self-administered electronic questionnaire between March and April 2024. Demographic, anthropometric, sports participation, and injury-related data were collected. The primary outcome was sports-related injury during the previous 12 months. Secondary outcomes included time loss from sports, injury-related surgery, functional limitation, and the anatomical site of injury. Associations were analyzed using bivariate statistical tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. A total of 197 medical student-athletes were included. The prevalence of sports-related injuries was 67.5% (133/197; 95% confidence interval (CI), 60.7–73.7%). Among injured athletes, 46.6% reported time loss from sports (95% CI, 38.4–55.1%), 19.5% underwent injury-related surgery (95% CI, 13.7–27.1%), and 52.6% reported functional limitation (95% CI, 44.2–60.9%). Considering the total sample, these outcomes corresponded to 31.5% (95% CI, 25.4–38.3%), 13.2% (95% CI, 9.2–18.6%), and 35.5% (95% CI, 29.2–42.4%), respectively. Injuries predominantly affected the lower limbs, especially the foot/ankle (41.4%) and knee (33.1%). Participation in athletics and futsal was significantly associated with higher injury frequency (p = 0.017 and p = 0.048, respectively). No significant associations were observed for body mass index, weekly training volume, or number of sports practiced. In this cross-sectional study, medical student-athletes presented a high prevalence of sports-related injuries, with relevant rates of time loss, surgery, and functional limitation. Injuries mainly affected the lower limbs. The higher injury frequency observed among students participating in athletics and futsal was based on exploratory bivariate analyses and should be interpreted cautiously. These findings support the need for institutional injury prevention, monitoring, and rehabilitation strategies tailored to medical student-athletes, particularly in higher-risk sports. III.