90% more jogging accidents
The sport of running is booming - but the number of jogging accidents has also increased significantly.
Today, almost twice as many joggers have accidents as at the turn of the millennium. Suva's latest analyses show when running athletes have accidents and how the accident risk differs compared to the past.
The sport of running is booming. The report "Sport Schweiz 2014" published by the Federal Office of Sport shows that almost a quarter of the Swiss population goes jogging. Accident insurers currently register around 9,000 jogging accidents each year. The cost: 30 million Swiss francs per year. Since the year 2000, jogging accidents have increased by 90%; among women, the number has almost tripled.
"The risk of having an accident while jogging today is hardly any different than in the past," says Peter Andermatt, a statistician at Suva. Rather, he says, the increase in the number of accidents is due to the fact that significantly more people are jogging. Today, it is generally known that regular exercise and sport have a positive effect on health. People who get enough exercise are generally more resilient, more productive and generally have a lower risk of accidents.
Slipping and sliding is the most common cause of accidents among running athletes. Most often, joggers sprain their ankles. According to Walter Vogt, a specialist in surgery at Suva, even a sprained ligament can be painful for a long time.
In the case of a torn ligament, the pain is accompanied by rapid swelling and a bruise below the outer ankle. Until a torn ligament has healed after six weeks at the earliest, these athletes can no longer jog. "The best prescription against such injuries is targeted strength and balance training, warming up before jogging, and good running shoes."
Suva offers detailed running tips for joggers.
"The risk of having an accident while jogging today is hardly any different compared to the past," says Peter Andermatt, a statistician at Suva.
