PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Yuri Feito AU - Evanette Burrows AU - Loni Tabb AU - Kerri-Anne Ciesielka TI - Breaking the myths of competition: a cross-sectional analysis of injuries among CrossFit trained participants AID - 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000750 DP - 2020 Jun 01 TA - BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine PG - e000750 VI - 6 IP - 1 4099 - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000750.short 4100 - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000750.full SO - BMJ OPEN SP EX MED2020 Jun 01; 6 AB - Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the injury rates of individuals engaged in CrossFit training and examine the risk of injury associated with competition.Study design Cross-sectional analysis.Methods Descriptive statistics, including injury incidence and rates, were examined for individuals reporting participation in a CrossFit sanctioned competition between 2013 and 2017. To examine the odds of being injured, we considered logistic regression models, where the primary independent measure was participation length—individual measures of interest included age, sex, body mass index, CrossFit affiliation and competition status.Results 3049 individuals completed the survey (60% completion rate). All competitors, regardless of competition level, had similar incidence of injury (χ2=1.1, p=0.571). For those who reported competing, our calculated injury rate was 0.21–0.54 injuries per 1000 training hours, while for those not competing, the injury rate was calculated as 0.39–1.30 injuries per 1000 training hours. Logistic regression demonstrated short length of participation in CrossFit training as the main factor associated with the odds of being injured (OR=1.82; 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.92). Additionally, training at an official CrossFit affiliate appeared to have a protective effect from injury (OR=0.85; 95% CI: 0.65, 1.10).Conclusion Our findings provide evidence of the low risk of injury related to these events. Moreover, these findings support the notion that musculoskeletal injuries may be the result of poor progression plans, which may be minimised by participating in an official CrossFit affiliate.