The surprise costs of common sports injuries

As peak contact sports season commences across the country, including the various football codes, netball, hockey and basketball, health and care company Bupa has today released figures detailing the financial impact of some of Australia’s most common sports injuries.

Previous national research¹ has shown that more than 36,000 Australians are hospitalised every year for sports related injuries, with thousands of others treated outside of hospital. Dr Dwayne Crombie, Managing Director of Bupa Health Insurance, said that while participation in sport delivered overwhelming health benefits, when injuries occurred costs could exceed as much as $5,000.

“The aim of releasing these figures is not to discourage people from playing sport, but rather make them aware of the costs they could be facing and encourage them to take protective measures where possible,” Dr Crombie said.

“We’ve looked at some of the most common sports injuries and identified the costs associated just with the time spent in hospital. On top of this would likely be ongoing, out of hospital rehabilitation such as physiotherapy.

“Last year a fractured arm or wrist was the most common sports injury requiring hospital care for our members while, based on hospital care alone, a person tearing their ACL faced the highest costs of $5,858 on average.

“Many of these injuries are unavoidable, but it should reinforce the use of protective items if available for your sport and wear appropriate footwear to minimise the chance of injury as much as possible.

“There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the value of health insurance. What these figures demonstrate is the peace of mind it can provide, especially for those aged 35 or under who are the most common to be hospitalised with sports injuries,” Dr Crombie said.

^{1 AIHW Australian sports injury hospitalisations 2011-12 http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129549100}

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