Epidemiological characteristics of injury among stand-up paddleboarding athletes

Stand-up paddleboarding has developed rapidly in recent years, but research on stand-up paddleboarding-related injuries is limited. Clarifying the characteristics of its injuries is needed to inform future prospective surveillance and prevention research.

This study aimed to investigate the distribution and incidence of self-reported stand-up paddleboarding-related injuries and to identify the paddling phases during which injuries were most frequently reported among stand-up paddleboarding athletes by age and gender.

This study was a retrospective, self-reported injury survey conducted using a questionnaire among stand-up paddleboarding athletes aged 8-67 years who participated in municipal-level or above paddleboard events. An injury was defined as any physical complaint sustained during paddleboarding that caused: (a) missed training/competition, or (b) medical attention. Injury rates were calculated using Poisson distribution to determine the standardized incidence per 1000 training hours.

Among all the 330 athletes, 220 athletes (66.7%) reported 482 injuries. The shoulder was the most common injury site (20.1%, 97 cases), followed by the lower back (15.4%, 74 cases). Athletes experienced 5.39 sports injuries per 1000 training hours. Adult athletes had significantly higher injury rates than adolescent athletes (5.87 vs. 3.08 injuries per 1000 training hours). Adult athletes were more likely to sustain shoulder and lower back injuries than adolescent athletes. 50.6% (167 athletes) reported 355 injuries during paddling phases. The shoulder was the most common injury site during paddling phases (35.2%, 125 cases), followed by the lower back (23.4%, 83 cases). During the pull phase, 67.7% (113 athletes) of all the 167 athletes reported 155 injuries accounting for 43.7% of all phase-related injuries. The shoulder was the most common injury site in the pull phase (34.2%, 53 cases), while the lower back was the most common injury site in the exit phase (30.0%, 18 cases).

The shoulder and lower back were the most common injury sites among competitive stand-up paddleboarding athletes, and injuries were most frequently reported during the pull phase of paddling. These descriptive findings may improve future injury prevention research and help athletes and coaches enhance safety awareness.