A cross-sectional study of musculoskeletal injuries related to exercise among gym members in Saudi Arabia in 2022: prevalence, common types, and predictor factors

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2024-08, Vol.25 (1), p.621-9, Article 621
• Main Author: Alrushud, Asma Saad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age groups; Athletic Injuries - epidemiology; Body mass index; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disability; Exercise; Female; Females; Fitness centres; Gender; Health aspects; Humans; Injuries; Injury prevention; Male; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal system; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Safety; Saudi Arabia - epidemiology; Self Report; Software; Statistical analysis; Statistics; Surveys; Training; Wounds and injuries; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07733-2

Despite the importance of enhancing exercise, exercising can cause injuries that lead to disability and increase the load on the medical sector. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of exercise-related injuries among gym members in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and evaluate the more common types of such injuries. It also investigated the association between injury prevalence and the factors selected. A cross-sectional study with a self-reported survey was conducted targeting members of Fitness Time gyms across the KSA. The survey consisted of three parts: part one concerns participant demographic data and part two contains four questions regarding the participants' training experience. Part three contains ten questions targeting those with a history of injury. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Crosstabs and chi-squared tests were used to assess the prevalence of exercise-related injuries when appropriate. Binary logistic regression was employed to investigate the association between injury prevalence and the potential associated factors. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated and the threshold for statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. A total of 713 subjects participated in the study. The mean age was 36.5 ± 11.2 years and (n = 422, 59.2%) of the participants were female. The study found a prevalence of injury among gym members of about (n = 404, ~57%). The most commonly reported types of injuries were muscle strain (n = 126, 37%) and bruising (n = 45, 13%). The most prevalent anatomical location of injury was the knee (n = 287, 84.3%), followed by the shoulder (n = 283, 83.3%), and the least common was the head/neck (n = 7, 2.1%). The present study suggests some factors associated with exercise-related injury. A significant statistical association (p