Background Although sports injuries occur because of inappropriate physical movement, the influence of multiple factors, such as psychological and social factors, on their occurrence remains poorly understood. Methods This semi-structured interview study included 10 athletes. The semi-structured interviews explored participants’ perceptions of the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and situational factors associated with their injury. Their conversations were audio recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed by three experts using the Steps for Coding and Theorization method (SCAT). Results The SCAT extracted 14 key themes, which can be categorized into seven meta-factors as potential factors underlying sports injuries. Notably, athletes often misjudge their physical state and overlook early warning signs of discomfort, while lacking sufficient behavioral knowledge on how to control and prevent risk. Additionally, elevated stress and excessive motivation triggered risk-taking behaviors and persistence, despite fatigue. A lack of external guidance and feedback appeared to allow maladaptive routines to continue. Situational factors, such as unfamiliar tactics combined with limited technical adaptability, reduced their ability to adjust movement behavior and ultimately increased vulnerability to injury. Conclusion Exploration of meta-factors and key themes revealed that sports injuries are influenced by a multitude of factors, irrespective of athletes’ awareness.
Kimotsuki et al. (2026) studied this question.