Kitesports Medicine

Use of a Prospective Survey Method to Capture a Picture of Overuse Injuries in Kitesurfing

“…Overuse symptoms also affected sport participation in terms of quantity; person-days of reduced participation related to shoulder, lower back and knee problems were 8 %, 3% and 8 % of the total respectively and quality performance was affected related to shoulder, lower back and knee problems in 11%, 22% and 16% of person-days respectively. Knee injuries, which are reportedly among the most common in acute injuries (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), also accounted for the greatest number and most disabling of overuse injuries, both in terms of reduction of training volume and performance quality. Knee overuse injuries may be prevalent due to the primarily isometric nature of effort required in kiteboarding and exacerbated by absorbed vibrations, repetitive microtrauma and overload during landing from jumps, when the legs bend and absorb part of the impact (13,25,26).…”

“…While scientific studies report the loss of control of the kite as the leading cause of serious injuries (2-4, 9 -12), this occurrence has become rarer thanks to the introduction of the quick release systems at the beginning of the 21st century. Additionally, total-depower kites (widely adopted from 2005 onwards), allow the kiter to eliminate the pull of the kite by merely letting go of the bar (13). Strategies to improve safety and reduce the incidence of acute injuries have been also developed (14)(15)(16).…”

“…For example, since 2019, it has become mandatory to wear a helmet and impact vest during competitions (1). It was implemented in response to many early reports of kitesurfing trauma involved boards recoiling at the kitesurfer by the elastic board leash (12,13). Kitesurfers may also lose control of the kite during flight and suffer cranial trauma when landing back on their board (17) or being thrown against an obstacle (4).…”

Videogrammetric Verification of Accuracy of Wearable Sensors Used in Kiteboarding

“…For the final comparison, 20 jumps were selected, each with heights exceeding 3 m according to the sensors. In addition to the jump heights, Table 2 shows the a priori accuracy of the videogrammetrically determined heights (h vg ) according to Equation (5). The accuracy of the image coordinates' measurement in all cases was rounded to three pixels, so only the distance of the observed targets from the camera had a significant effect on the σ h value.…”

“…Competitions currently take place in disciplines such as wave-riding, freestyle, or course racing [5]. Results are highly dependent on weather conditions and the athlete's equipment, physical condition, and experience.…”