Aging & Sports

Abstract

Background: CrossFit is a popular high-intensity, functional strength sport. Reviews of CrossFit epidemiology lack a clear definition of injury.Objectives: Based on a three-step definition of injury with time-loss and medical attention, the existing literature was to be reviewed to determine injury rates in CrossFit and the most affected body regions.Methods: Following the PRISMA-statement, four literature databases were searched for studies related to epidemiology in CrossFit. Studies found were reviewed for evidence and quality of reporting through the OCEBM Levels of Evidence and the STROBE statement.Results: Thirty-two studies were included in the qualitative review and fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The included studies were of level 3 and 4 of evidence and reported 14-22 items of the STROBE-checklist. A prevalence of 30.3% (95% CI: 25.3-35.3%) and an incidence of 3.20/1,000 hours (95% CI: 2.06-4.34) were calculated for musculoskeletal injuries in CrossFit. Spine (26.8%, 95% CI: 20.6-33.0%), shoulder (25.9%, 95% CI: 20.1-31.6%), and knee (15.8%, 95% CI: 11.8-19.7%) were most affected.Conclusion: Musculoskeletal injury rates and affected body regions in CrossFit are comparable to weightlifting and powerlifting. These findings suggest that recommendations for injury prevention in CrossFit might not differ from generalized recommendations in strength sports. Studies of higher quality are needed to improve epidemiology data.Key Words: Prevalence, Incidence, Strength Training, High Intensity Functional Training