Record number of shoulder injuries among Dutch athletes
VeiligheidNL recorded 530,000 shoulder injuries in 2025, but the risk per hour of sport did not rise.
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Dutch athletes sustained a record number of shoulder injuries in 2025. According to VeiligheidNL, there were 530,000 cases, partly because people in the Netherlands have been taking part in more hours of sport and sports such as padel and hyrox have become more popular.
In total, 4.7 million people in the Netherlands sustained 5.7 million sports injuries in 2025, VeiligheidNL reports in its latest figures. According to VeiligheidNL, the knee was affected most often, followed by the ankle and shoulder. The same organisation says that medical treatment was needed for about half of all injuries.
The absolute number of shoulder injuries does not automatically mean that sport has become more dangerous. VeiligheidNL stresses that the risk of injury is calculated per 1,000 hours of sport. Because people in the Netherlands have been doing more hours of sport, the total number of injuries can rise while the risk per hour of sport remains unchanged or falls.
Sports physician Femke Claessen, who is affiliated with Erasmus MC and works as a team doctor for the national tennis and padel federation, sees problems particularly among people who enthusiastically take up a new sport. According to Claessen, the shoulder is used intensively in padel and hyrox, but overuse can also occur in tennis, volleyball, handball and other overhead sports.
The figures describe injuries among people in the Netherlands who take part in sport and are not a diagnosis for individual athletes. VeiligheidNL distinguishes between different types of injury and between injuries requiring medical treatment and those that do not. The report therefore says something about the scale of the problem, but not about the treatment someone needs.
According to VeiligheidNL, prevention focuses on gradual build-up and avoiding overuse. Claessen cites a warm-up and targeted muscle-strengthening exercises as possible elements of injury prevention. This is general preventive information, not personal medical advice.
The main caveat, then, is the difference between numbers and risk. The record number of shoulder injuries alone does not show whether the risk per hour of sport has risen.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures and VeiligheidNL’s interpretation were checked against two public sources. The text clearly distinguishes between the total number of injuries and the risk per hour of sport.
- confirmed There were 530,000 shoulder injuries among Dutch athletes in 2025. — Reported by NOS on the basis of figures from VeiligheidNL. source
- confirmed In 2025, 4.7 million people in the Netherlands sustained a total of 5.7 million sports injuries. — Reported by NOS on the basis of VeiligheidNL. source
- confirmed A higher total number of injuries does not automatically mean a higher risk per hour of sport. — VeiligheidNL explains this distinction through Sport en bewegen in cijfers. source
Editor's note
The record scale and the explanation of the risk per hour of sport are based on VeiligheidNL figures as presented by NOS. The figures describe numbers of injuries and do not justify an individual medical conclusion.Sources
- Niet eerder zo veel schouderblessures bij sportende Nederlanders — NOS
- Sportblessures | Sport en bewegen in cijfers — Sport en bewegen in cijfers
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