Shoulder Injuries in Individuals Who Participate in CrossFit Training

Abstract

Background:CrossFit, a sport and fitness program, has become increasingly popular both nationally and internationally. Researchers have recently identified significant improvements in health and wellness due to CrossFit. However, some individuals assert that CrossFit poses an inherent risk of injury, specifically to the shoulder, due to the intensity of training. Currently, there is limited evidence to support this assertion.Hypothesis:Exercises performed during CrossFit do not place the shoulder at greater risk for injury. Injury rates are comparable to other sports of similar intensity.Study Design:Descriptive survey study.Level of Evidence:Level 5.Methods:An electronic survey was developed and dispersed to approximately 980 individuals who trained in CrossFit gyms. The survey identified demographic data, training characteristics, and the prevalence of injury over a 6-month period in individuals who participated in CrossFit training.Results:A total of 187 (19.1%) individuals completed the survey. Forty-four (23.5%) indicated that they had experienced a shoulder injury during CrossFit training over the previous 6 months. Of those who reported injury, 17 (38.6%) stated that this injury was an exacerbation of a previous injury sustained prior to starting CrossFit. There was no significant relationship between several demographic and training variables and shoulder injury. All shoulder injuries occurred at a rate of 1.94 per 1000 hours training, while “new” shoulder injuries occurred at a rate of 1.18 per 1000 hours training. The most commonly attributed causes of injury were improper form (33.3%) and exacerbation of a previous injury (33.3%). Twenty-five (64.1%) of those who experienced injury reported 1 month or less of training reduction due to the injury.Conclusion:Shoulder injury rates during CrossFit training are comparable to other methods of recreational exercise.Clinical Relevance:Clinicians should be aware of training demands of exercises in CrossFit and modifications for these exercises to safely progress their patients back to participation.

Perfil de lesões em praticantes de CrossFit: revisão sistemática

“…Several injury-related factors were observed in CrossFit practitioners and athletes. The most present factors within the studies were the type of exercise performed, in 5 studies 3,[22][23][24][25] , and the training time of CrossFit, in 3 studies 6,26,27 . In addition, sex presented relation to the prevalence of injuries, where men presented a higher number of injuries in relation to women, and the presence of prior injury was associated with new injuries.…”

“…Scapular dyskinesia affects the excursion movement of this joint, overloading the glenohumeral joint 41,42 , which is usually associated to muscle imbalance, mainly due to weakness of the serratus anterior and lower trapezius fibers 43,44 . The study by Summit et al 25 showed that, among the gymnastic movements that cause injury (25 out of 46) reported by practitioners, there are kipping pull-up, ring muscle-up, push-up and ring dips…”

Injuries in Novice Participants during an Eight-Week Start up CrossFit Program—A Prospective Cohort Study

“…Several mechanisms for the presumed high number of injures have been discussed, including performing technical movements under high intensity close to exertion and even performing harmful movements [4,5]. However, these possible mechanisms are still undocumented, and a growing body of evidence concludes that the injury rates of CrossFit participants arecomparable to the injury rates of other noncontact sports such as Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Among the studies reporting an injury rate per 1000 h of exposure, the results seem to be relatively consistent with reported injury rates ranging from 0.74 to 3.3 per 1000 h of exposure [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]19].…”

Análise comparativo da execução técnica do Levantamento de Peso Olímpico entre praticantes com e sem experiência

“…;Beck, 2014). Sendo a causa mais comum das lesões a inadequada forma dos movimentos (a técnica), responsável pelo 33% das lesões (Summitt et al, 2016).…”

“…Hodzovic, multifatorial, i.e. a lesão pode resultar da somatória da carga imposta que excede a capacidade do tecido biológico envolvido(Zernicke & Whiting, 2000), a causa mais comum das lesões foi a inadequada forma dos movimentos (a técnica), responsável por até 33% das lesões(Summitt, Cotton, Kays, & EJ, 2016). Não foram encontrados estudos sobre sua aplicação e nível de lesão com outras modalidades esportivas.…”