Epidemiology and associated factors for CrossFit-related musculoskeletal injuries: a cross-sectional study

CrossFit® is usually composed of high intensity workout routines and is executed quickly, repetitively and with limited rest time. Previous studies have identified a high prevalence of injuries in CrossFit®. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CrossFit-related musculoskeletal injuries and to identify potential associated factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 413 CrossFitters. Participants completed a questionnaire containing personal data, training characteristics and injury history in the last 12 months. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression models.

The prevalence of CrossFit-related musculoskeletal injuries was 24.0%; and the injury rate was of 0.80 injuries per 1,000 hours of exposure. The regions of the body most affected were the lumbar spine (33.3%), shoulders (31.3%) and knees (14.1%). The majority of CrossFitters participated in competitions (74.6%), had more than 12 months of experience in CrossFit® (62.7%), and trained up to 90 minutes a day (82.3%) for more than 4 days a week (76.8%). The variables that showed a significant association with CrossFit®-related musculoskeletal injuries were weekly training frequency (OR=2.25; 95% CI: 1.13-4.48) and regular physiotherapeutic care (OR=1.85; 95% CI: 1.11-3.07).

The prevalence of musculoskeletal injury was 24.0%, and the most affected regions of the body were the lumbar spine, shoulders and knees. Training more than four days a week and do not receive regular physiotherapeutic care were associated with CrossFit-related musculoskeletal injuries.