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Int J Sports Med 2021; 42(14): 1281-1286
DOI: 10.1055/a-1386-5188
Training & Testing

Effects of an Injury Prevention Program in CrossFit Athletes: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Rafael Martínez-Gómez  ‡
1   Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain
,
Pedro L. Valenzuela  ‡
2   Systems Biology Department, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
3   Department of Sport and Health, Agencia Espanola de la Proteccion de la Salud en el Deporte, Madrid, Spain
,
Susana Moral-González
1   Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain
,
Alejandro Lucia
4   Physiology, Universidad Europea De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
5   Physical Activity and Health Laboratory, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital ‘12 de Octubre’ (‘imas12’, PaHerg), Madrid, Spain.
,
David Barranco-Gil
1   Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain
› Author Affiliations Funding: Research by P.L.V. is funded by University of Alcalá (FPI2016). Research by A.L. in the field of physical activity and health is supported by Carlos III Health Institute (Spanish ministry of Science and Innovation) and Fondos Feder (grant # PI18/00139).
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Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the effects of an injury prevention program in CrossFit athletes. Thirty-two CrossFit athletes were randomized to either an intervention group (n=16), that performed mobility and stability exercises during the warm-up of all CrossFit sessions for a 10-week period or to a control group (n=16) that kept performing their usual warm-up. Incidence of injuries (primary outcome) as well as average training loads, fatigue and pain perception were registered during the study. The overall injury incidence rate was 0.04 per 1000 training hours, with no differences between groups (p>0.05). Similarly, no between-group differences were found for injury severity, nor for average training volume, intensity, training load, pain, or fatigue perception during the study (all p>0.05 with trivial-to-small effect sizes). In summary, a 10-week injury prevention program consisting of stability and mobility exercises provided no benefits on injury rates, fatigue and pain perception in recreational CrossFit athletes. Further research might corroborate the preliminary evidence reported here.

Key words

injuries - power - strength - physical performance

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 09 November 2020

Accepted: 29 January 2021

Article published online:
12 July 2021

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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