A Retrospective Career-Long and Seasonal Study of Injury Patterns in 196 Elite Swimmers: The Role of Primary Discipline and Competitive Distance.

The majority of elite swimmers experienced at least one injury during their careers.

• 128 out of 196 swimmers experienced at least one injury throughout their careers
• A total of 183 injuries were documented across entire careers
• Data collected via retrospective self-reported questionnaire sent in June 2024 to elite swimming clubs in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
• 220 swimmers completed the questionnaire, of which 196 were included in injury analysis

During the 2023/2024 season, 113 injuries were recorded in 93 participants.

• 113 injuries occurred in 93 participants during the 2023/2024 season
• A total of 73,580 athlete exposures (AEs) were recorded for the season
• Overall injury incidence was 1.54 injuries/1000 AEs
• The shoulder was the most prevalent injury site at 0.87 injuries/1000 AEs

Freestyle sprinters had a significantly higher injury incidence compared to freestyle long-distance swimmers.

• Rate ratio = 2.17 (95% CI 1.15–4.31) for freestyle sprinters versus freestyle long-distance swimmers
• This was the only statistically significant difference in injury incidence found across competitive distances
• Suggests competitive distance is an important factor in injury risk among elite swimmers

Butterfly and breaststroke swimmers showed numerically higher injury incidence than other disciplines, though not statistically significant.

• Butterfly swimmers: 1.69 injuries/1000 AEs
• Breaststroke swimmers: 1.58 injuries/1000 AEs
• Compared to 0.98 injuries/1000 AEs for other disciplines
• Differences were described as 'slightly higher numerical injury incidence' but non-significant

Injury location appeared to differ across primary swimming disciplines.

• The study found that injury location was not uniform across butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle disciplines
• The shoulder was the overall most prevalent injury site across all swimmers
• Discipline-specific injury location patterns were identified but detailed breakdown was noted in the abstract as differing across disciplines
• These findings suggest discipline-specific injury risk profiles exist among elite swimmers

The study employed a retrospective, self-reported design with acknowledged recall bias limitations.

• Questionnaire-based design covering both the 2023/2024 season and entire career injury history
• Authors explicitly noted 'the known limitations of recall bias'
• Data were collected from elite swimming clubs across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
• Authors cautioned that findings 'should be interpreted with caution' due to study design limitations