Results of an Injury Survey
The information in this report is presented as a summary of an injury survey completed at the end of the 2010-2011 season.
A significant survey was completed by 254 high performance curling athletes in Canada. The athletes who participated were identified by the Canadian Curling Association and Provincial Curling Associations as High Performance Curling Athletes who practice and/or compete 4 or more days per week and who have experienced Provincial, National, and/or International success.
Participant demographics
Sex
Female participants (143) outnumbered the male participants (111); however, both sexes were well-represented in the study.
Age groups
The following age distribution shows a diverse age range of respondents. The large majority of respondents were within the age-range of 20-39 years old.
Skips vs Brushers
The majority of respondents played a sweeping position throughout most of their career; however, a large percentage of skips did respond to this survey.
Throw - Hand Dominance
The majority of high performance curling athletes throw right handed.
Brushing – Hand Dominance
The majority of sweepers are right hand low dominant.
Cross-Section of Injuries of Curling Athletes
The chart below shows a distribution of the injuries reported by the High Performance Curling Athletes during the 2010-2011 competitive season.
One option in this section of the survey included a box for the athlete to check “nothing hurt throughout the competitive season”. That result did not make the top 10.
Timing – When did your ache/pain first occur
The goal was to identify a pattern of injury timing and look at which prevention measures might need more emphasis. i.e. reporting “prior to the start of the competitive season” might require more injury rehab and training in the non-competitive season or reporting “end of the competitive season” may require a look at schedule planning and recovery/regeneration strategies, etc…
The following chart shows an overwhelming majority of injuries in curling to be of a chronic nature and that a Prevention Action Plan (PAP) is necessary to safeguard our athletes from injury.
Almost 50% of the athletes reported their injuries being of chronic nature. There is an elevated level of injuries occurring in the middle of the season. This may represent a time when wear-and-tear exceeds recovery.
Injury Relation
This question asked the athlete about the cause of their injury.
Missed Games or Practice Due To An Injury
Almost ¼ of the responding athletes reported missing time due to an injury. Some reported that they switched from a sweeping position to skipping in order to prevent further time away from the game.
Non-competitive season training
The major opportunity for rehabilitation, fitness training, and prehabilitation is in the non-competitive season.
Competitive Season Training
Warm Ups:
When asked “Do you warm up before training/competition?”, 97% of our athletes responded with “Yes”.
When asked the question, “What type of warm up do you do?”, over 70% reported static stretching as part of their warm ups and only 46% were completing light aerobic exercise.
Recovery/regeneration
Injuries among ALLCurling Athletes
Injuries Among Male and Female Skips
Common injuries in Male Skips
Common injuries in female skips
Common Injuries in Male Brushers
Common Injuries in Female Brushers