Last Updated Apr 2014
I field emails every day with questions about CrossFit injuries. The biggest complaint I hear from these individuals about other physical therapists is that they don’t understand CrossFit. Obviously, understanding what you’re trying to send your patients back to and what they’ll have to be capable of performing is going to be critically important in the rehab process.
As such, here is part 1 of the 10 things that physical therapists should know about CrossFit:
What Is CrossFit, from a Physical Therapist’s Point of View?
The amount of misinformation and bias out there in regards to CrossFit is staggering. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been wearing a CrossFit shirt and I’ll hear negative remarks about CrossFit from other therapists who have never even set a foot in a CrossFit gym or have any idea of what CrossFit even is.
I was at CSM (Combined sections meeting) and one of the presenters named Joe Black made a very interesting statement. He sends his patients to CrossFit after therapy to address some of the problems he found. And he believes that CrossFit can be helpful in the rehab process (with a well-designed program I completely agree).
This was a very refreshing statement. Many therapists hold the completely opposite opinion. In fact, there was a whole presentation at CSM that year talking about the dangers of high intensity programs like CrossFit.
After Joe’s statement you wouldn’t believe the gasps from the audience. They sounded disgusted.
How Risky is CrossFit?
Obviously there is a lot of negative belief about CrossFit in the therapy world. CrossFit is certainly not a perfect system and I don’t mean to raise it up on a pedestal. However, CrossFit is certainly not the demon it is made out to be. I really feel that this sentiment is largely based in a lack of understanding of CrossFit in general.
To this date, there is very little research to objectively measure risk of injury in CrossFitters. However, the research that is out there thus far demonstrates CrossFit as about as risky as competitive weightlifting and powerlifting. In this particular study, CrossFit demonstrated a 10 times decreased risk of injury compared to recreational running. (Chris Beardsley puts this information into perspective in his review of this particular study HERE).
If you’re familiar with the research on risk of injury in sports, you’ll know that competitive weightlifting and powerlifting is among the safest of sports, contrary to popular belief. Purely recreational running has been shown to be much more risky but physical therapists routinely treat runners to get them back to running without as much negative sentiment.
If you really want to learn more about CrossFit (and I really feel you should if you’re seeing the population) then you can find out more HERE. Visit some of the gyms you’re getting patients from. Take a few classes and befriend the coaches. It’s going to make a world of difference for your patients and not just lead them back to CrossFit injuries.
Watch out for the next part of this article next week!
About the Author: Dan is a 28 year old lifelong athlete, physical therapist, health and fitness professional and self-proclaimed meathead. Dan holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ. He also has a B.S. in exercise science with a minor in nutrition from Rutgers University.
For more articles and PT information, visit him at Fitness Pain Free.
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