Background: Amateur sports participation has grown substantially across India over the past two decades, coinciding with a rise in sports-related injuries. Unlike professional athletes, amateur players frequently lack access to qualified coaching, appropriate protective equipment, and sports medicine facilities, placing them at disproportionate risk.
Objectives: This systematic review synthesises evidence from five peer-reviewed Indian studies to examine the prevalence, anatomical distribution, risk factors, and prevention strategies of injuries among amateur athletes in India.
Methods: A structured search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Studies published from 2016 to 2025, focusing on sports injuries in Indian amateur, recreational or student athletes, were included.
Results: Sports injury prevalence among Indian amateurs ranged from 18.4% to 73.4%, with lower limb injuries accounting for 57%–61% of all injuries. Key risk factors included inadequate warm-up, poor technique, absence of formal training, previous injury, age, gender and sport type. Contact sports such as football, kabaddi and wrestling demonstrated the highest injury rates.
Conclusions: Comprehensive, population-specific injury prevention programs, structured warm-up protocols, improved sports medicine infrastructure and regionalised surveillance systems are urgently needed to protect amateur athletes across India.
sports injuries, amateur athletes, India, prevalence, risk factors, injury prevention, musculoskeletal injuries.
Dr. Sangeeta. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies of Injuries Among Amateur Athletes in India. Indian Journal of Modern Research and Reviews. 2026; 4(6):183-188
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