Exploring The Relationship Between Sport Specialization And Injury Risk In Competitive Swimming

Sports specialization is increasingly prevalent among young competitive athletes. Swimming is one of the few sports in which early specialization and intensive training before full maturation may be necessary to achieve elite performance. The relationship between sport specialization in competitive swimmers and injury risk is unknown. PURPOSE: To examine the association between the level of sport specialization and the likelihood of injury in competitive swimmers. METHODS: A retrospective epidemiologic survey was administered to 261 swimmers (mean age:18.52 ± 3.03 years). Participants provided information on demographics, stroke specialties, training volume, competition level, sport specialization history, and injury diagnoses. Sport specialization was initially classified into low, moderate, or high levels based on a widely used survey tool developed by Jayanthi et al. Due to the overwhelming proportion of highly specialized swimmers, the low and moderate specialization groups were combined for analysis to ensure adequate statistical power. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI), assessing the association between sport specialization and injury risk while adjusting for relevant demographic variables. RESULTS: Among the 261 participants, 206 (79%) were classified as highly specialized, while 49(21%) were categorized as having low-to-moderate specialization in swimming. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, weekly pool training hours, total yardage, competition level, and years of swimming experience, identified high specialization as a significant predictor of increased injury risk (OR: 2.347, 95% CI: 1.193, 4.620). CONCLUSION: Competitive swimmers with a high level of sports specialization have a greaterincidence of swimming-related musculoskeletal injuries. Swimmers often specialize in swimming at an early age, which may limit overall athletic development and contribute to injury risk. Incorporating skills and strength training involved in other sports, particularly through dryland training, may help enhance overall athleticism, reduce injury risk, and support long-term performance.