Injuries in Short Track Speed Skating

Abstract

Background Little is known about the pattern of injury in short track speed skating. Purpose To investigate the incidence and characteristics of injuries in short track speed skating. Study Design Retrospective study. Methods Ninety-five of 150 elite-level skaters (63.3%) were surveyed to collect information on training and competition load as well as on injuries sustained during the 1999—2000 competitive season. Injuries were characterized in terms of anatomic location, type of injury, time loss from training and competition, and circumstance of injury (acute onset during competition, on-ice practice, off-ice training, or insidious onset). Results Sixty-one of the 95 skaters (64.2%) reported sustaining at least one injury. The knee, ankle, spine, leg, and groin were the most commonly reported sites of injury. Skaters were also asked to list previous on-ice injuries. The two most common injuries occurring on-ice before the 1999—2000 season were lacerations from the knee down (11.1%) and ankle fractures (10.2%). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that there is a high incidence of injury in competitive short track speed skating.