Most Common Injuries in Crossfit Training: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The injury rate for CrossFit training is relatively low in comparison to other fitness-related sports. Systematic reviews regarding the extent of number of injuries per body part and injury-related exercises in CrossFit training are scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine the injury prevalence and incidence in CrossFit participants, in particular of injured body parts, and to examine injury related exercises in CrossFit. Methods: In December 2021 a comprehensive search in Embase, PubMed, Cinhal, and Sport Discus databases was conducted using keywords CrossFit, Weightlifting, gymnastics and injuries. Studies investigating injury incidence and prevalence in CrossFit training that specifically reported injured body parts, independently screened by two authors, were included. The NIH Quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies was used to evaluate the methodological quality and validity of each study. Results: Eighteen studies were included in this review. The injury prevalence was between 19.4 and 73.5%, the injury incidence between 12.8 and 66.2%. Shoulder injuries, accounting for between 6.7 and 40.6% of all injuries, were found as most common injury location among CrossFit participants. Lower back (12.9 to 36.0% of all injuries), hand/wrist (4.0 to 32.7%), knee (4.7 to 21.4%), elbow (2.0 to 17.9%), foot/ankle (3.0 to 10.2%), hip (1.6 to 13.3%) and neck (2.0 to 7.0%) injuries were less commonly reported. Most injuries were associated with weight lifting or power lifting movements. Lower back injuries occurred more in weight lifting and power lifting exercises. Shoulder injuries were associated with gymnastic exercises such as ring dips, ring muscle ups, and exercises containing kipping movements. Conclusion: The injury prevalence and incidence in CrossFit participants was between 19.4 and 73.5% and 12.8 and 66.2, respectively. Shoulder injuries were the most common injured body part among CrossFit participants, followed by lower back and hand/wrist injuries. Gymnastic movements as kipping pull-ups, ring dips and muscle ups were reported as exercises with a higher risk for shoulder injuries. Lower back injuries were more commonly reported in association with weightlifting and power lifting movements such as back squat and dead lift.