Injuries associated with the practice of calm water kayaking in the canoeing modality

Abstract

Knowing the most frequent injuries in canoeists is important, considering the consequences for the athlete’s sports career, health, and labour, social and economic life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the most frequent injuries among high-level canoeists and the intrinsic variables of the sport’s practice (years of practice, number of training sessions per week, and stretching habit) that can influence the appearance of such injuries. An observational, transversal, and retrospective epidemiological study was carried out with 122 canoeists that completed a sport injuries questionnaire (number, body area, type, and severity of injuries). The ratio of injuries per participant was 1.1 injuries/year in men; and 1.5 injuries/year in women. Shoulder injuries were the most frequent, followed by knee injuries (in women) and lower back (in men), and the other segments of the upper limbs. In men, injuries occurred more frequently in the central period of training sessions and in women during the last 15 min of training sessions. Then, there is a common profile of injuries in canoeists: Being a female, having more years of sports practice, and never executing stretching exercises are associated with predisposing factors to injuries.