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CrossFit Injury Rehab Part 1: Injury Rates Among CrossFitters

Made 2 Move Team

At Made 2 Move, a large majority of our clients come to us from Crossfit. Many people will say, ‘Isn’t there something wrong here- if SO many people from Crossfit end up in PT?’ You could have that view, OR you can see it as:


  1. Every day presents itself with an inherent risk of injury, simply by getting out of bed (you could roll your ankle the first time your feet hit the floor). Does this mean we just stay in bed all day for fear of rolling our ankle? NO! 

  2. The second reason a majority of our clients come from the Crossfit world may simply be the result of the spaces we put ourselves in. We work in gyms like Ethos and attend fitness competitions like FOTC and Sacred Pine Invitational, so naturally we meet many local Crossfitters. 


Lots of these athletes come from an ortho doctor who told them CrossFit was bad for them and that they were going to get hurt or need surgery in 5 years because of CrossFit. And often note that all of their friends and family (lovingly) tell them these same things. Are these things true? Is CrossFit bad for you? Is injury inevitable in CrossFit compared to other sports?  


We may be biased, but in part 1 of this 2-part series, we’re going to dispel the myth that Crossfit is bad for you and sets you up for injury.  Part 2 will delve into strategies you can take and questions you can ask to not only mitigate your risk of injury but also effectively reach your athletic-related goals in CrossFit. Let’s [box] jump in! 



Common Injuries In CrossFit

Before we look at CrossFit injury rates compared to other sports, let’s take a look at some of the most common injuries we see in our CrossFitters here at Made 2 Move. 


  • Lower Back

  • Shoulders

  • Knees

  • Hand/Wrist/Elbow


Mechanism of Injury: 

  1. Acute (Traumatic):  This is the “I was doing (snatches, deadlifts, pull-ups, etc.) and IMMEDIATELY, or very soon after, felt it.  And now I can’t do ___ because of the pain.”

  2. Chronic (Overuse): This is the more nagging pain, the knee pain during squats, the shoulder pain with kipping, the wrist pain with handstand walking, etc. that you’ve been trying to push through but is limiting you from moving at the level and capacity you know you’re capable of. 


Injury Rates 

Is the injury rate higher in CrossFit compared to other sports? Let’s look at the data: 

  • Crossfit compared to military physical training: One study looked at injury rates in traditional military PT (physical training NOT physical therapy) programs when compared to programs like the Advanced Tactical Athlete Conditioning (ATAC) program or Extreme Conditioning Programs (ECPs) such as the Ranger Athlete Warrior program or CrossFit. (We love that they qualified CrossFit-type programs as ‘extreme conditioning programs.’) What did they find?

    • “Participation in the extreme conditioning program resulted in a 12% (significant at P = .02) increase in all types of injuries, whereas soldiers who participated in PT [physical training] had a 14% (significant at P = .05) increase in all types of injuries” (Klimek et al. 2018).

  • Crossfit compared to other sports: “The 3 articles retrieved for this review found that the injury rate with CrossFit was comparable to or lower than injury rates with Olympic weightlifting, distance running, military conditioning, track and field, rugby, or gymnastics” (Klimek et al. 2018).

    • Injury rates for Crossfit were lower than other sports, with 3.1 injuries per 1000 exposure hours of training vs. an injury rate of 78.4 injuries per 1000 exposure hours in ice hockey and 140 injuries per 1000  exposure hours in football (Klimek et al. 2018).


So, no CrossFit is #1- NOT bad for you and #2 - Doesn’t put you at higher risk for injury compared to other sports. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that sometimes, injuries happen in CrossFit and you need an experienced PT to help you navigate it. 


Interested in working with a PT who will help you manage your rehab so that you can get back to CrossFit? A PT who KNOWS your CrossFit movements (because we do it ourselves) and may even compete alongside you at a local competition? Schedule your free consultation at Made 2 Move today! 


Stay tuned for part 2 of this series on what PT for CrossFit related injuries looks like here at Made 2 Move! 

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