Injuries in German national short-track speed skating athletes

Objectives

Short-Track Speed Skating (STSS) is a high-intensity ice sport characterized by fast-paced races and proximity among athletes, which inherently poses a risk for falls and injuries. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of orthopedic-traumatological injuries in German national STSS athletes with comparisons to previous studies.

Design

Retrospective analysis.

Methods

Medical records of 69 athletes (30 females, 39 males) who were part of the German national team between 2009 and 2020 were analyzed retrospectively based on a new standardized injury surveillance system published by the International Olympic Committee in 2020.

Results

The average career duration of athletes on the German STSS national team was 10.9 ​± ​4.4 years, with each athlete accumulating 10,116 ​± ​4326 ​h of exposure to risk during training. A total of 371 orthopedic-traumatological injuries requiring medical consultation (IRMCs) were recorded, with an estimated incidence of 0.53 per 1000 ​h of exposure. 69.8 ​% of the observed injuries affected the lower extremities, primarily involving the knee and ankle. Joint injuries were the leading cause of IRMCs, accounting for 16.3 ​% of cases. The majority of IRMCs occurred during on-ice training (45.0 ​%), followed by off-ice training (30.0 ​%), and competitions (25.0 ​%).

Conclusion

This was the first implementation based on a standardized injury surveillance system in STSS. Important information about career-related injuries and injury patterns resulted from the analyses. However, further prospective research is needed to support the prevention of health issues in STSS.