Sports injury prevalence and associated factors in functional fitness: a cross-sectional study

Purpose We investigated injury rates over the previous 12 months, associated factors, and injury characteristics in a cohort of recreational functional fitness training participants. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 304 participants (175 females and 129 males; mean age: 32.6 ± 7.2 years; mean training experience: 27.6 ± 21.4 months) from three CrossFit™ affiliated gyms in Brazil. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews, using a questionnaire that focused on functional fitness-related injuries in the previous year and included data on participant demographics and training regimens. Results Out of all the participants, 82 (27.0%) experienced a functional fitness-related injury with an incidence rate of 1.22 injuries/1000 hours of participation. The practice of other sports activities and dissatisfaction with joint mobility of the shoulders increased the odds of being injured in the multivariate logistic regression. The shoulder was the most affected body part (26.6%). A gradual injury mechanism was the most commonly reported (36.2%), and joint sprain (18.1%), cartilage injury (11.7%), and tendinopathy (10.6%) were the most common pathology types. Concerning symptom severity, in most cases, participants referred to the injury as severe (36.2%), with a sporting time loss greater than 28 days (50%). Conclusions Injury prevalence over the last 12 months was 27.0% (82/304), with an incidence of 1.22 injuries/1000 hours. The practice of other sports activities and dissatisfaction with joint mobility of the shoulders increased the odds of injury. Most injuries occurred in the shoulder, with a gradual injury mechanism, and participants classified symptoms as severe, leading to significant sporting time loss.