Injuries among first time participants in a Costa Rican high-intensity functional training facility - A pilot study

Abstract

Research examining injuries in high-intensity functional training (HIFT) programs is scarce, especially when prospectively exploring the injuries of those new to HIFT. The purpose of this prospective pilot study was to explore the injuries of first time HIFT program participants in a HIFT facility in Costa Rica.  Four males (30.23 ± 3.6 yrs) and 8 females (29.3 ± 8.7 yrs) filled out six weekly prospective injury surveys via qualtrics.com. All participants were new to HIFT as defined by having no previous HIFT experience and having become a member of the same HIFT training facility within the last 2 months. Injuries were defined as anything that hurt the participant more than muscle soreness within the last seven days. The survey also asked about the injury location as well as the severity, time lost from training/work, exercise performed when injured, instructor supervision during the injury, and history of a related injury. Furthermore, the survey included items related to the amount of hours and number of days spent doing HIFT over the last week. Participants reported doing HIFT workouts at an average 3.8 +/- 0.7 days per week for a total average of 3.3 +/- 0.3 hours per week. A total of two participants reported three injuries, yielding an injury prevalence of 16.7% and an estimated injury incidence of 11.6 per 1000 hours of HIFT. The most common injury reported was to the shoulder (66.7%) and the knee (33.3%). Additional prospective studies are warranted to determine the effects of injuries that occur among HIFT beginners.