INJURY INCIDENCE IN COMPETITIVE CROSS-COUNTRY SKIERS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background/Purpose Endurance sports, including cross-country skiing, require long hours of repetitive training potentially increasing the chance of injury, yet injury incidence and risk factors for adult cross-country skiers remain relatively unexplored. Data for elite adult north American competitive cross-country skiers is unexplored. A 12 month prospective surveillance study was undertaken to calculate the injury incidence and exposure of cross-country skiers. Injuries by anatomic location and mechanism of injury were calculated. Further, the relationships between new injury and the participant's demographics and physical assessment parameters were examined. The aims of this study were to determine the injury incidence and any risk factors for injury in elite adult north American cross-country skiers.