{"id":12,"date":"2025-03-18T19:49:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T19:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/?p=12"},"modified":"2025-03-18T20:30:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T20:30:06","slug":"prevalence-of-injuries-in-crossfit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/prevalence-of-injuries-in-crossfit\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Prevalence of Injuries in CrossFit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I speak with friends and CrossFit comes up\u2014as it almost always will\u2014those who don\u2019t do CrossFit tend to parrot some nonsense about how it\u2019s dangerous and riddled with injuries. This made me curious: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is the actual prevalence of injuries in CrossFit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article, I\u2019ll explore peer-reviewed studies on the subject to understand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">a) How prevalent injuries are in CrossFit<br>b) What the most common injuries tend to be<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is CrossFit? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In layman&#8217;s terms, CrossFit is a form of high-intensity functional training. CrossFit didn&#8217;t invent anything, we just stole what we liked from everyone else and meshed it together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you attend a training course with CrossFit, they will tell you, CrossFit is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements, that are executed at high intensity.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s a program that mixes a number of different training modalities together &#8211; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>weightlighting;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>calisthenics;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>power lifting;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>running, biking and rowing;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>gymnastics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This variety is what makes CrossFit special\u2014but also why people assume injuries are rampant. After all, each of these disciplines comes with its own risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevalence of Injuries in CrossFit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get a better understanding, I looked at two key studies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Title<\/th><th>Authors<\/th><th>Date<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC6201188\/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20those%20with%20less%20than%206%20months,3.21\/1000%20workout%20hours;%20maximum%2C%201.01\/1000%20workout%20hours).\">A 4-Year Analysis of the Incidence of Injuries Among CrossFit-Trained Participants<\/a><\/td><td>Yuri Feito,*\u2020 PhD, MPH, Evanette K. Burrows,\u2021 MPH, and Loni Philip Tabb,\u2021 PhD<\/td><td>2018<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.humankinetics.com\/view\/journals\/jsr\/27\/3\/article-p295.xml#r4\">Are Injuries More Common With CrossFit Training Than Other Forms of Exercise?<\/a><\/td><td>Chelsey Klimek, Christopher Ashbeck, Alexander J. Brook, and Chris Durall<\/td><td>2018<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Klimek, et. al., found that the injury rate was comparable to or lower than injury rates with Olympic Weightlifting, Distance Running, Military Conditioning, Track and Field, Rugby or Gymnastics. It&#8217;s important to note that Klimek&#8217;s study was build on reviewing and synthesizing findings of three key studies (so for more details on how they came to this it&#8217;s important to dig into each respectively). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The one I am particularly keen on is the one by Feito, et. al. In this study, they analyzed responses from 3,049 participants who actively participated in their study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A portion (30.5%) of the participants surveyed reported experiencing an injury over the previous 12 months because of their participation in CrossFit training. Injuries to the shoulders (39%), back (36%), knees (15%), elbows (12%), and wrists (11%) were most common for both male and female participants. The greatest number of injuries occurred among those who participated in CrossFit training 3 to 5 days per week (\u03c7<sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;= 12.51;&nbsp;<em>P<\/em>&nbsp;= .0019). Overall, and based on the assumed maximum number of workout hours per week, the injury rate was 0.27 per 1000 hours (females: 0.28; males: 0.26), whereas the assumed minimum number of workout hours per week resulted in an injury rate of 0.74 per 1000 hours (females: 0.78; males: 0.70).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, the prevalence of injury in CrossFit was found to be in line with what you can expect in each of the domains separately. Where the most common injuries were:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Injury<\/th><th>Percentage<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Shoulders<\/td><td>39%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Back <\/td><td>36%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Knees<\/td><td>15%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Elbows<\/td><td>12%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Wrists<\/td><td>11%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a distribution of the injuries and its relationship between Males and Females:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1011\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/InjuryChart.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/InjuryChart.png 1011w, https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/InjuryChart-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/InjuryChart-768x548.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1011px) 100vw, 1011px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where injury rates per 1,000 training hours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Work Load<\/th><th>Rate<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>High Workout Volume<\/td><td>.27<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Low Workout Volume<\/td><td>.74<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared to other sports per 1,000 training hours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Exercise<\/th><th>Rate<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>CrossFit<\/td><td>.27 &#8211; .74<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Olympic Weightlifting<\/td><td>~3.3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Running<\/td><td>~2.5 &#8211; 12.1<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rugby<\/td><td>~15+<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anecdotal, Personal Observations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve been participating in CrossFit for a little over three years, starting my fourth in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yes, I\u2019ve had my fair share of injuries\u2014<strong>all falling into the categories the studies identified<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shoulders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Knees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wrists<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Elbows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Had I taken the Feito study\u2019s survey, I would have been part of the 30.5% who reported an injury. But here\u2019s the thing: almost all my injuries had one thing in common\u2026 me, specifically my ego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coincidently, that doesn&#8217;t tell the whole story. In my very narrow view, in almost all my cases the injuries I incurred were a result of me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Not listening to guidance (ego);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Getting caught up in the moment (ego);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pushing through with bad mechanics (ego);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pushing past my volume capacity (ego);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not listening to my body  (ego);<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Real example of my personal injuries and how they happened:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Injury<\/th><th>Explanation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>QL Strain (Lower Back)<\/td><td>Just last week, I tweaked my back attempting a 3RM deadlift. I got caught up in the moment, lifted too heavy, and paid the price.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Tennis Elbow<\/td><td>Six months into CrossFit, I pushed way too much volume on pull-ups for Murph prep without having the strength for it. The result? Brutal tendonitis.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Golfer\u2019s Elbow<\/td><td>A month ago in a <strong>competition<\/strong>, I refused to drop the bar on overhead presses. My body wasn\u2019t ready for that volume. Ego won.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Peck \/ Shoulder <\/td><td>Three months ago in a competition I did too much volume in a movement I don&#8217;t typically do in an effort to show that I could in the moment. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I\u2019m not alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve seen plenty of athletes ignore warning signs because their ego wouldn\u2019t let them scale or allow themselves to take a day, or two, off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My general opinion is that CrossFit doesn\u2019t inherently cause injuries. <strong>Poor decisions do.<\/strong> If we factored out ego-driven mistakes, I\u2019d bet the injury rate would be even lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to stay injury free? Here are some free, yet very hard, recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1\ufe0f\u20e3 <strong>Find a good coach.<\/strong> Proper form and progression matter, be patient.<br>2\ufe0f\u20e3 <strong>Be coachable.<\/strong> Advice only works if you listen.<br>3\ufe0f\u20e3 <strong>Know your limits.<\/strong> Don\u2019t chase PRs at the expense of longevity.<br>4\ufe0f\u20e3 <strong>Respect volume.<\/strong> More isn\u2019t always better.<br>5\ufe0f\u20e3 <strong>Prioritize recovery.<\/strong> Rest, mobility, and smart programming keep you training longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the day, <strong>CrossFit isn\u2019t dangerous\u2014bad decisions are.<\/strong> Train smart, listen to your body, and leave the ego at the door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I speak with friends and CrossFit comes up\u2014as it almost always will\u2014those who don\u2019t do CrossFit tend to parrot some nonsense about how it\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/prevalence-of-injuries-in-crossfit\/\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What is the Prevalence of Injuries in CrossFit?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crossfit","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12\/revisions\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theranchbarbell.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}