Sprains and strains at St John

Participants are more prepared this time around at the NZ Masters Games, paramedics say, despite a steady stream of traffic through the medical centre.

Mel Chittenden, a St John paramedic and one who has been organising the St John roster for the Games in Wanganui, said after a very busy first two days, "business" buttoned off a little on Monday.

On Saturday, the first day of major competition, St John crews dealt with 22 patients.

"They were largely sprains and the odd dislocated finger. And there were a couple of fractures from football and motocross," Ms Chittenden said.

Numbers increased on Sunday with 30 patients treated with a similar array of injuries being dealt with.

"Yesterday (Monday) we had eight through our centre and they were mainly strains and sprains."

Ms Chittenden said most of those injuries had happened through accidental falls "or perhaps because someone was taking part in a sport they were not that familiar with".

"But people appear to be more physically prepared for the Games this time around and obviously a lot of them have trained well beforehand."

She said the numbers her crews had seen were only those St John dealt with directly.

"The physiotherapists working here have been handling other people with minor muscle strains and the like," Ms Chittenden said.

She said organising the St John medical coverage of the Masters Games took around three months.