Year 2008 whitewater injury survey

The purpose of this study was to gather retrospective data on paddling style, equipment, and acute and chronic/overuseinjuries in hard shell whitewater canoe and kayak paddlers, to compare injury rates and patterns in different groups of paddlers, and to evaluate the incidence in paddlers of self-reported giardia infection. During summer and fall of 2008, a surveywasdistributed at riverside, through paddle club bulletins, andwas posted on the Internet. Three hundred nineteen useablesurveys were returned reporting 388 acute and 285 chronic in-juries. Shoulder, wrist/hand, and elbow/forearm were the mostcommon sites of injury. Sprain/strain was the most common(26%) known acute injury, followed by laceration and contusion(each 17%). Tendinitis was the most common (44%) knownchronic injury diagnosis, followed by sprain/strain (27%). Forty-seven percent of acute and 36% of chronically injured paddlers sought medical attention. Giardia infection was reported in14%. It is concluded that shoulder and wrist/hand areas were the most common injured sites in this survey. Sprains, tendinitis, lacerations, and contusions were the most common known injury diagnoses. Injuries due to portage were common. Giardia infection may be common in whitewater paddlers.