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Injury Rate and Patterns Among CrossFit Athletes

C

C T J

Crossfit VIP
Jan 24, 2013
2,483
741
Cliffs: Not as dangerous as the internet would have you believe.



  • [SUP]*[/SUP]University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
  • [SUP]†[/SUP]Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
  • [SUP]‡[/SUP]Department of Orthopedics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
  • Investigation performed at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA

  • §Brian D. Giordano, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 665, Rochester, NY 14642, USA (e-mail: [email protected]).


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Abstract

Background: CrossFit is a type of competitive exercise program that has gained widespread recognition. To date, there have been no studies that have formally examined injury rates among CrossFit participants or factors that may contribute to injury rates.

Purpose: To establish an injury rate among CrossFit participants and to identify trends and associations between injury rates and demographic categories, gym characteristics, and athletic abilities among CrossFit participants.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods: A survey was conducted, based on validated epidemiologic injury surveillance methods, to identify patterns of injury among CrossFit participants. It was sent to CrossFit gyms in Rochester, New York; New York City, New York; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and made available via a posting on the main CrossFit website. Participants were encouraged to distribute it further, and as such, there were responses from a wide geographical location. Inclusion criteria included participating in CrossFit training at a CrossFit gym in the United States. Data were collected from October 2012 to February 2013. Data analysis was performed using Fisher exact tests and chi-square tests.

Results: A total of 486 CrossFit participants completed the survey, and 386 met the inclusion criteria. The overall injury rate was determined to be 19.4% (75/386). Males (53/231) were injured more frequently than females (21/150; P = .03). Across all exercises, injury rates were significantly different (P < .001), with shoulder (21/84), low back (12/84), and knee (11/84) being the most commonly injured overall. The shoulder was most commonly injured in gymnastic movements, and the low back was most commonly injured in power lifting movements. Most participants did not report prior injury (72/89; P < .001) or discomfort in the area (58/88; P < .001). Last, the injury rate was significantly decreased with trainer involvement (P = .028).

Conclusion: The injury rate in CrossFit was approximately 20%. Males were more likely to sustain an injury than females. The involvement of trainers in coaching participants on their form and guiding them through the workout correlates with a decreased injury rate. The shoulder and lower back were the most commonly injured in gymnastic and power lifting movements, respectively. Participants reported primarily acute and fairly mild injuries.

Full study:
http://ojs.sagepub.com/content/2/4/2325967114531177.full
 
HDH

HDH

TID Board Of Directors
Sep 30, 2011
3,386
2,812
Damn, they have a study for everything :)

I've learned over the years that for many of the studies out there that proves, there's a study that disproves. Maybe not for this one, sounds kinda new.

I see you have a crossfit title under your avy so I want to be clear that I in no way am trying to offend you, just giving an opinion.

I'm sure there will be plenty of offensive posts to come, LOL

I see crossfit as dangerous to new people that train. Anyone with some time under the iron and a good sense for injury prevention understands this the best.

It seems a good bit of the newer trainees don't take the time to get a grasp on form or injury prevention.

In the study, it says nothing of the levels of experience these people have.

For example, how do we not know that the 20% injured were not new to lifting or the 80% not claiming injuries were experienced lifters making the switch?

See what I'm getting at?

I have nothing against crossfit, I say do what keeps you happy.

H
 
D

Docd187123

MuscleHead
Dec 2, 2013
628
192
With 132 responses, the study found that 73% of athletes sustained an injury during CrossFit training with an injury rate of 3.1 per 1000 hours trained. Despite all of the media attention on CrossFit's link to cases of rhabdomyolysis, none of the study's participants experienced rhabdomyolysis

SportInjuries (per 100 hours)
Soccer (school age) 6.20
UK Rugby 1.92
USA Basketball 0.03
UK Cross Country 0.37
Squash 0.10
US Football 0.10
Badminton 0.05
USA Gymnastics 0.044
USA Powerlifting 0.0027
USA Volleyball 0.0013
USA Tennis 0.001
Weight Training 0.0035 (85,733 hrs)
Weightlifting 0.0017 (168,551 hrs)



But still much more dangerous than normal Olympic weightlifting, powerliftng, and weightlifting in general. Also consider the severity of the Injury not just the injury rate.
 
DieYoungStrong

DieYoungStrong

VIP Member
May 27, 2013
1,388
942
I don't know about the studies, but I know chiro's, ortho's, and PT's and they all tell me how much they love crossfit. It's good for business.

From their anecdotes, most of the injuries are on people somewhat new to training, and the injuries range from overuse injuries, to major tears. I think that stems from CrossFits "push through it" attitude. Training hard and training smart are 2 completely different things....
 
porky little keg

porky little keg

MuscleHead
May 21, 2011
1,225
647
I like the " Injury rate decreased with trainer involvement" part....


The idea of crossfit is solid. I've seen some very high level athletes and teams train and they are ****in' incredible.

The shameful part is the same as the reason why the sport has grown so fast - it takes very little to open up a gym and "coach".
Around here it's common to see guys with just the one day level one certification running gyms ( at $100 a month!)..... some know their stuff from other sports but there are a lot who are just clueless. So, people get hurt.

Gymnastics are a hard skill to learn, so is oly lifting, and to a lesser degree - powerlifting. Each one takes years of good coaching to master, but a clueless coach trying to push new athletes is what most gyms end up with......
 
C

C T J

Crossfit VIP
Jan 24, 2013
2,483
741
Damn, they have a study for everything :)

I've learned over the years that for many of the studies out there that proves, there's a study that disproves. Maybe not for this one, sounds kinda new.

I see you have a crossfit title under your avy so I want to be clear that I in no way am trying to offend you, just giving an opinion.

I'm sure there will be plenty of offensive posts to come, LOL

I see crossfit as dangerous to new people that train. Anyone with some time under the iron and a good sense for injury prevention understands this the best.

It seems a good bit of the newer trainees don't take the time to get a grasp on form or injury prevention.

In the study, it says nothing of the levels of experience these people have.

For example, how do we not know that the 20% injured were not new to lifting or the 80% not claiming injuries were experienced lifters making the switch?

See what I'm getting at?

I have nothing against crossfit, I say do what keeps you happy.

H

Great post HDH. I'm doing well so things are looking good over here. No worries on offending me.
Yep..that's one of the issues. Some of these people have never even worked out
or done anything athletic before. But the trainer should know that and they should
start out with very light weight...actually no weight at all, just a pvc pipe and practice
form. That's how almost every place I've been to does it and I've been to many across
the country.
 
C

C T J

Crossfit VIP
Jan 24, 2013
2,483
741
I honestly can't think of one serious injury from my time in CF gyms this entire time. (1 full year)
I did however, see 2 torn hamstrings, 1 torn quad, and 2 broken clavicles from Softball season.
These were your typical gym guys that lift and one was a girl that tripped and landed on her shoulder (clavicle).
 
DieYoungStrong

DieYoungStrong

VIP Member
May 27, 2013
1,388
942
I honestly can't think of one serious injury from my time in CF gyms this entire time. (1 full year)
I did however, see 2 torn hamstrings, 1 torn quad, and 2 broken clavicles from Softball season.
These were your typical gym guys that lift and one was a girl that tripped and landed on her shoulder (clavicle).


The injuries get really good in men's basketball leagues. Lots of Achilles tears and fun stuff like that.
 
BrotherIron

BrotherIron

VIP Member
Mar 6, 2011
10,717
2,808
I honestly can't think of one serious injury from my time in CF gyms this entire time. (1 full year)
I did however, see 2 torn hamstrings, 1 torn quad, and 2 broken clavicles from Softball season.
These were your typical gym guys that lift and one was a girl that tripped and landed on her shoulder (clavicle).

You mean in your gym or CF in general? If in general, don't forget about the idiot who is now in a wheelchair after dropping a bar on his neck after he changed the WOD which was snatches for time. He increased the weight significantly and ended up dropping on him. I'm pretty sure this incident happened in Cali.

The reason why CF has so many injuries is that the coaches don't take the time to properly teach their athletes. You don't learn to snatch with a 45lbs bar, in case anyone was wondering. You learn on a PVC pip or a broom stick. That's right, a weightless stick and you spend hours before moving onto an unloaded bar. You also don't teach the full lift from the floor. You teach from the top down. You also learn how to dump a bar before ever learning on how to perform the lift. How many coaches in CF gyms do this first? None that I have seen.

I can't speak of gymnastics b/c I don't know a thing about it but I see Oly lifting being taught completely wrong in the handful of CF gyms I've stepped into.

Of course all of our sports have injuries but when coached properly, they can be less severe and lessened in amount too.
 
Last edited:
C

C T J

Crossfit VIP
Jan 24, 2013
2,483
741
I meant of all the CF gyms I've been in (approximately 20). That injury was a result of bad programming.
They had them doing too much metabolic stuff before heavy snatches. Retarded...I won't compete in any
comp that has something like that programmed and I doubt we'll see that kind of programming again because
of that injury. It was just plain dumb.

As far as learning the movements, I agree and that's what you see in almost every one of the CF gyms I've been in.
From above:

Great post HDH. I'm doing well so things are looking good over here. No worries on offending me.
Yep..that's one of the issues. Some of these people have never even worked out
or done anything athletic before. But the trainer should know that and they should
start out with very light weight...actually no weight at all, just a pvc pipe and practice
form. That's how almost every place I've been to does it and I've been to many across
the country.
 
BrotherIron

BrotherIron

VIP Member
Mar 6, 2011
10,717
2,808
Hopefully, the bubble will burst for CF and I mean this in a good way. The shitty gyms will go under/close and the actual quality ones will prosper and grow in their attendance. This will help the gyms left over as well as the athletes since they'll be in a safer environment to learn in.
 
HDH

HDH

TID Board Of Directors
Sep 30, 2011
3,386
2,812
Great post HDH. I'm doing well so things are looking good over here. No worries on offending me.
Yep..that's one of the issues. Some of these people have never even worked out
or done anything athletic before. But the trainer should know that and they should
start out with very light weight...actually no weight at all, just a pvc pipe and practice
form. That's how almost every place I've been to does it and I've been to many across
the country.

I tell ya what man, I've seen some shitty trainers that can't even do a fit gym. First day making them do forced reps when they couldn't even hold the negative. Or, standing on a half ball trying to do DB shoulder presses. This is just what I've seen without really paying attention. Take these jerkoffs and let them train CF and it's just asking for trouble.

Fit gym is just cardio and arms for me though. I use a real gym for everything else.

Personal trainer is just as it sounds. They need to evaluate the trainees needs to keep them injury free and help to meet their goals. It's just to easy to get certified these days.

H
 
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