a systematic review of the epidemiology of sports injuries among iranian athlete school students

Introduction: student engagement in sports is on the rise, promoting various health advantages while heightening the likelihood of sustaining sports-related injuries. this study aimed to review the epidemiology of sports injuries among iranian students. methods: a systematic review was conducted according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (prisma) guidelines. the search used selected keywords from inception to june 2025 to search pubmed, scopus, web of science, sid, magiran, and iranmedex databases for original and peer-reviewed articles. google scholar was also searched for additional records. the quality of the included studies was assessed using the joanna briggs institute checklist. results: after searching the mentioned databases, 3360 articles were identified. ultimately, 15 articles were selected for this review based on the inclusion criteria. it revealed a high prevalence of sports injuries among iranian student-athletes, with reported injury rates ranging from 24.2% to 33.3%. football (69%) and futsal (11.6%) had the highest injury rates among boys, while volleyball (17.2%) and handball (4.7%) were the most common among girls. lower limb injuries were the most frequently reported (n = 8), accounting for > 50% of all cases. the most common injury types included muscle-tendon injuries, sprains, and cramps, often resulting from contact mechanisms, such as collisions and inadequate warm-up. injuries occurred more frequently during training than during competitions. conclusion: these findings provide valuable guidance for stakeholders to develop evidence-based injury prevention strategies to improve the students' safety and health in iran. however, crucial research gaps remain, including the need for longitudinal studies and improved injury surveillance systems to better understand risk factors over time.