Number of reported CrossFit injuries on the rise

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – January is the time many of us dust off the runners and vow to get in shape, but one fitness craze is creating more business for sports injury and physio clinics. More people are coming in after hurting themselves taking part in CrossFit.

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority says some clinics are seeing an increase in the number of people seeking help after hurting themselves taking part in CrossFit. Aart Van Gorkum with the Physiotherapy Association of BC says more people are coming into his clinic, Main Street Physiotherapy in Vancouver. “The injuries that we typically see from CrossFit are mainly shoulder related, spine related and knee injury.”

Van Gorkum says people get hurt when they become competitive and try to complete a set number of reps with weights in a set amount of time. “This can lead to repetitive strain injuries, fatigue-based injuries and people then tend to sacrifice their form in order to lift the weight or complete the amount of reps, you know that aspect will lead to injuries.”

CrossFit has exploded in popularity over the last decade. It started in 2005 with one gym in Seattle and now there are over 10,000 gyms affiliated with the method. Half of them are in the US.

Some research echoes what we’re seeing anecdotally in Vancouver. A professor of spine biomechanics based at the University of Waterloo says the risk of injury outweighs the benefits of some CrossFit exercises.

Van Gorkum says studies have shown injuries are far less likely to happen if you do CrossFit with an experienced coach. “Running is a great analogy. If you go out and run and you’ve never run before and you’ve got poor running mechanics, you’re likely going to get injured. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t run, but it means you need someone to teach you how to run properly. He recommends people wanting to try CrossFit do their research and find a gym with coaches who know what they’re doing.