Part I: Crossfit-Related Injury Characteristics Presenting to Sports Medicine Clinic

To investigate CrossFit-related injuries presenting to a pediatric sports medicine clinic.

Retrospective review of pediatric CrossFit-related injuries from between January 1, 2003, and June 31, 2016.

Pediatric sports medicine clinic at a tertiary-level academic medical center.

Patients with injury related to CrossFit participation.

Sex, age, injury site, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, and treatment.

Annual CrossFit-related injury proportion (%) over time.

One hundred fifteen medical identified (N = 55 female; mean age, 25.2 ± 10.4 years). Proportion of CrossFit-related injuries presenting to clinic relative to overall clinic volume consistently increased over time (Pearson r = 0.825; P = 0.022). Injury location included head (0.08%), trunk/spine (25.2%), upper extremity (27.0%), and lower extremity (47.0%). Common injured joints included knee (27%), spine (24.3%), and shoulder (16.5%). Nearly half of patients had a single diagnostic imaging (49.6%; 57 of 115). Most common diagnostics included magnetic resonance imaging (60.0%; 69 of 115), plain radiographs (51.3%; 59 of 115), ultrasound (10.4%; 12 of 115), and computerized tomographic scan (9.6%; 11 of 115). Most commonly prescribed treatments included physical/occupational therapy (38.3%; 44 of 115), activity modification (19.1%; 22 of 115), crutches/brace/splinting/compression sleeve (13.0%; 15 of 115), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (10.4%; 12 of 115).

CrossFit-related injury proportion presenting to a pediatric sports medicine clinic increased over time. A notable proportion of injuries occurred to the trunk and spine. Advanced imaging was obtained in approximately half of these youth athletes. Further research in youth CrossFit athletes is required surrounding mechanism of injury to prevent future injury in this mode of training for youth athletes.