Have you tried a new sport this summer?
A summer of sport has already resulted in a positive legacy with over five million more GB adults inspired to take up exercise, of which almost a fifth (907,000) of these people are aged 45 or over, according to a study commissioned by Tissue Regenix Group.
The study follows suggestions by Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, that the current generation of parents are likely to be the first to be fitter than their children. But Tissue Regenix is warning the quest to remain healthy comes with its own risks with a fifth of those who have taken up sport over the summer having already suffered an injury – a potentially unwanted legacy of the Olympics.
Likewise, over the last 12 months almost one in ten of GB adults have suffered an injury as a direct result of taking part in sport and other activity and of these, 1.15 million are people aged 45 or over. According to the NHS, the rise in middle-aged sportsmen and women is likely to result in a 20 per cent increase in knee replacement surgery within ten years, with around 7,000 knee replacements currently undertaken.
But Tissue Regenix says that a serious injury is not the end of the sporting career for many of these so-called MASTERS (‘Middle Aged Sports, Training & Exercise Re-Starters’).
Antony Odell, Managing Director, Tissue Regenix said: “Whilst it’s fantastic that so many people have been inspired to take up sport this summer, inevitably some will injure themselves, but this need not sound the end of their sporting renaissance. Medical advances are coming such that damaged knees and shoulders can be easily repaired or replaced without the need for repetitive invasive surgery.”
The top five sports/activities that British adults have been inspired to take up this summer are:
|
Rank |
Sport/activity |
Number of GB adults taking up each sport |
Rank |
Sport/activity |
Number of ‘MASTERS’ taking up each sport |
|
1 |
Walking |
1.9 million |
1 |
Walking |
537,000 |
|
2 |
Swimming |
1.7 million |
2 |
Swimming |
206,000 |
|
3 |
Running |
1.6 million |
3 |
Cycling |
171,000 |
|
4 |
Football |
1.4 million |
4 |
Gym |
159,000 |
|
5 |
Gym |
1.2 million |
5 |
Football |
102,000 |
Unsurprisingly, those adults who have taken up running over this summer are the most likely to have suffered an injury, followed by football and swimming. But “budding Bradleys” should also beware as 7 per cent of those who have taken up cycling over the summer have suffered an injury, according to Tissue Regenix.
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