The Truth about CrossFit Injuries
I recently threw out my back and everyone’s first response were that it was from CrossFit. Everyone that doesn’t do CrossFit that is. They all wanted to say it was another one of the famous CrossFit injuries. I will say the movement I was doing was something done in CrossFit. But it is also done in many other fitness routines and I did it away from a CrossFit box at the time.For years it seems CrossFit has had a bad rap for injuries. But is it really that surprising for a sport that has its athletes preform at the optimum level? What sport do you know of that doesn’t have injuries? What most people fail to realize is that every person that does the workouts in a CrossFit box is an athlete.
CrossFit
In CrossFit the definition of an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in strength, power, balance and agility, flexibility and endurance.” While there are many different levels of athletes in a CrossFit box. That is the beauty of CrossFit, anyone can do it.A significant aspect of CrossFit is scalability. Scalability applies to both differentials in load amounts as well as to variations to movements that consist of superior skill and/or flexibility. Using these variations, athletes of differing fitness levels fluctuating from beginner to advanced can join in on the WODs.And just like with any other sport you have competitors, those who actually compete in competitions, and non-competitors, those who do it for their overall fitness needs. In fact, if you were to walk into a CrossFit box you would see everyday people doing variations of the same workout.Injuries can occur in any sport. CrossFit prides itself on being the sport of fitness. Injuries can range from a ripped callous on the hands to a more intense injury like broken bones or torn ligaments. Just like in other sports.
Common CrossFit Injuries
There have been several studies done about CrossFit injuries and fortunately for us they are public knowledge. According to Hak (2013) the most common CrossFit Injuries are in the shoulders and back. This data coincides with data founded by Montalvo (2017) that found the most common areas are in the shoulder, knee and lower back.This can be caused by various reasons. A common myth is that lifting heavy causes injuries. I know we all love to watch the crazy videos of CrossFit athletes failing lifts. In reality, these are not as common as people like to believe.Most of the injuries that occur in CrossFit are associated with fatigue during the high intensity Workout of the Days (WODs). This is believed to be because of the deterioration in concentration and skill as the athletes’ tire. (Montalvo 2017).CrossFit WODs are designed to push athletes to their limit. Despite many naysayers concerns that CrossFit is unsafe, there is very little evidence to either support or refute safety-related claims for athletes.In fact, during the study done by Montalvo (2017) more injuries were found in CrossFit competitors versus non-competitors. Part of this is due to the number of training hours competitors do compared to non-competitors. It was also found that athletes that participated in physical activity outside of CrossFit had a significantly higher injury rate than those who didn’t.
Compared to Other Sports
CrossFit is by definition: constantly, varied, high-intensity functional movement. It incorporates Olympic weightlifting, gymnastic movements, and metabolic training such as bike, run, swim and rowing. They also encourage the athletes to explore a variety of sports.Compared to injuries rates in both Olympic weightlifting and power-lifting CrossFit injury rates were similar which indicates that movements from these sports are possibly be a factor to most of the CrossFit injuries (Mantalvo 2017).The difference is that Olympic weightlifters and power-lifters focus the majority of the training on their specific movements, where CrossFit is more varied. CrossFit athletes not only have to be able to do the heavy lifting that are common in weightlifting. But also the flexibility to do gymnastic movements.Not only can CrossFit athletes lift an amazing amount of weight over their head they are also able to go upside down and do handstand push up or walks. That takes an amazing amount of power and control.The beauty of CrossFit is that you can do CrossFit workouts without incorporating Olympic lifts if you wanted to. There are plenty of at home CrossFit workouts that can be done with minimal to no equipment. I provide one every week in our Workout of the Week section.
What that means for you?
So, what does this all mean for you? If you are using CrossFit to just maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow the suggested 2 days on 1-day rest cycle of 1-hour workouts your chances of major injuries are very low.Now I am not going to say that you won’t get injured. If you have ever met a CrossFitter who doesn’t have a bruise from box jumps, or double unders, or cleans or some other movement I would call you a liar.Bumps and bruises and rips are common injuries among CrossFit athletes. These are included in the number of injuries recorded for the majority of the studies I have found.Basically, if you are interested in starting CrossFit, you shouldn’t be worried about injuries any more than you would in any other physical activity that you would encounter. CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program to help develop fitness for all your bodies needs.It is my recommendation that everyone should try CrossFit. I realize that it is not for everyone just like Yoga isn’t for everyone. I honestly feel like it is a great way to work out and improve overall health.CrossFit wants to improve the overall health of everyone who walks in the doors to the Box. They focus on everything including your diet. Nutrition is just as important as exercise if not more so and CrossFit also teaches that.CrossFit is the whole package. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a Community.
Closing Thoughts
Now, before I end I must add a few things. There are several other factors that can lead to CrossFit injuries and any strength and conditioning endeavor. These factors include technique errors, lacking muscle strength and endurance, muscle imbalances, and mobility restrictions. I personally feel that it isn’t until significant volume & intensity is added to these factors that they become injuries.