In Italy 300 thousand sports injuries and 15 thousand hospitalizations every year, the testimony of three great champions

“In Italy there are around 300,000 sports injuries per year, with 15,000 hospitalisations, especially in the youth sectors – explains Matteo Guzzini, professor of Locomotor System Diseases at the UniCamillus University and President of the Congress – Creating a multidisciplinary culture with medical, physiotherapy and technical staff allows us to better prevent and treat traumas, reducing injuries and encouraging a rapid return to the field, always in safety”.

On stage three testimonies of great media power: Martin Castrogiovanni, icon of international rugby; Caterina Banti, Olympic gold in sailing (Tokyo and Paris 2024); Gloria Peritore, world kickboxing champion and European boxing champion. “The objectives of this event are to update on the state of the art in the treatment of the main pathologies of Sports Traumatology, from muscle injuries to the knee, hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and ankle, comparing experts, physiotherapists and champion athletes to provide a 360-degree point of view centered on the athlete’s health – continues Guzzini – The innovative procedures range from the ‘repair’ technique for the anterior cruciate ligament to regenerative medicine and microsurgical methods and minimally invasive”.

Accidents are feared by every athlete, competitive or otherwise, because they could mark the end of their career. This is why prevention becomes of fundamental importance: an athlete pushes his body towards new limits, which is why he cannot avoid injuries, but he can manage them. This means constant risk calculation work.

“In my career I have dealt with major injuries, and they taught me that prevention is not a detail, but a real working method: periodic checks, specific strength, intelligent management of loads and serious recovery – explains Martin Castrogiovanni, former prop for the National Rugby team – It is this approach that really reduces the risk, keeps you performing and allows you to return to the field better than before”. A managed, curated, calculated prevention: a prevention that has become the new true frontier of sports science. According to Martin Castrogiovanni, we have moved “from cure to prevention. Today athletes work with data, periodic screening and load management, taking care of recovery, nutrition and sleep. Sports medicine is continuous, personalized and integrated with performance”.

To reiterate the importance of prevention, as well as treatment, a constant dialogue between athletes and medical professionals in the sector is necessary. «Events like this congress allow us to share high-level scientific knowledge and encourage an interdisciplinary dialogue between doctors, physiotherapists and athletes, with the aim of improving diagnosis, treatment and the path to returning to sporting activity in complete safety – concludes Gianni Profita, rector of UniCamillus – It is through the comparison of the best clinical and scientific experiences that we can make a concrete step forward in the protection of health in sport”.