Injuries in whitewater kayaking

Abstract

Objective-To provide epidemiological data on whitewater kayaking injuries using a descriptive study. Methods-A retrospective survey was distributed at whitewater events and club meetings, and made available and advertised on the world wide web, through postings and announcements to newsgroups, related sites, and search engines. Data on sex, age, experience, and ability were collected. Injury data collected included mechanism, activity, diYculty of rapid, and self reported severity. Results-Of the 392 kayaking respondents included in the final analysis, 219 suVered 282 distinct injury events. The number of days spent kayaking per season was the only independent predictor of injury. The overwhelming majority of injuries occurred while the kayaker was still in the boat (87%). Striking an object was the most common mechanism of injury (44%), followed by traumatic stress and overuse (25% each). The most common types of injury were abrasion (25%), tendinitis (25%), contusion (22%), and dislocation (17%). The upper extremity, especially the shoulder, was the most commonly injured area of the body. Although half of injured kayakers sought medical care for their injury, and almost one third missed more than one month of kayaking because of the injury, almost all (96%) reported a complete or good recovery. Conclusions-Factors relating to likelihood of injury appear to be connected with exposure, namely the number of days a year that the sport was pursued. Except for class V (extreme) kayakers, reports of injuries paralleled the number of participants. Kayakers reported injuries predominantly on rivers that they assessed to be at a level appropriate to their skills. (Br J Sports Med 2001;35:235-241) Keywords: kayaking; whitewater; injuries Whitewater kayaking is fast becoming one of the most popular of the new "adventure sports", with images of kayaking used in advertising for everything from soft drinks to automobiles. Current estimates place the number of whitewater kayakers at between 1.4 and 2.8 million, with a growth of almost 15% annually.1-3 Although kayaking is often considered a very dangerous sport, little is actually known about the risks and types of injury. In 1981, Kizer 4 performed a survey of 1000 whitewater kayakers, with 211 responses, concerning medical problems associated with kayaking. He found that 80% of kayakers were male, with almost one half (46%) kayaking at least once a week (on average). The most common medical complaints, other than blisters (reported by 65%), were muscle strain (45%), low back strain (31%), sprains or tendinitis (28%), and submersion trauma (17%). Other articles published in the medical literature that discuss injuries and hazards related to whitewater boating have been either case studies 5-7 or review articles covering multiple whitewater related risks. [8][9][10] In addition, case reports, particularly of fatalities, have been collected and published by Charles Walbridge. 11-14As the popularity of whitewater kayaking continues to increase, doctors may expect to ...

Injuries, Ill-Health and Fatalities in White Water Rafting and White Water Paddling

“…Various methods of data collection were reported. Surveys were used in seven studies [10,[12][13][14][16][17][18], provider records were used in three studies [19][20][21], hospital discharge data were used in a further two studies [22,23], and observation [11], telephone interview [15], tourist compensation claim data [24] and kinematic data [25] were identified in single articles. Samples ranged between 54 and 473 participants of which between 53.5% and 89% were male.…”

“…Fiore and Houston [16], reported that novices, defined as those competent on grade I and II rivers, sustain more acute impact-related injuries, such as abrasions, lacerations, sprains, strains and fractures. Expert paddlers, on the other hand, defined as individuals who are competent on grade V and VI rivers, sustain more chronic overuse injuries, such as tendonitis [16]. Acute and chronic injuries and injury rates have been examined in WW paddling and rafting separately.…”

“…The most frequent injuries reported were lacerations, sprains/strains, fractures and dislocations [10-12, 16, 18] and the majority of injuries were reported to have occurred whilst paddlers were in their boats [16]. Most lower limb injuries occur when paddlers are 'swimming' after capsizing or during the hike to and from river access points [11,16,18].…”

“…Most lower limb injuries occur when paddlers are 'swimming' after capsizing or during the hike to and from river access points [11,16,18]. Novice paddlers reported more lower limb injuries because they capsize more frequently [16]. Acute injuries that occurred tended to require medical attention; however, they were short term and recovery was usually complete [16].…”

“…Novice paddlers reported more lower limb injuries because they capsize more frequently [16]. Acute injuries that occurred tended to require medical attention; however, they were short term and recovery was usually complete [16].…”