ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the injury incidence and potential injury risk factors related to deadlifting exercises.

A total of 50 national deadlift contestants participated in this study. All 50 participants were enquired about demographics, training routines and injury characteristics before the competition via face-to-face interviews. The potential risk factors for common sports injury and deadlift-related injury were evaluated.

Twenty-one participants (42%) sustained any kind of sports injury in the preceding year. Ten participants had injuries related to deadlifting exercises. The most injured body parts during training were the lumbopelvic area (n=15), shoulder (n=12), and knee (n=4). All 10 athletes who had deadlift-related injuries described complaints over the lumbopelvic area. While all predictors were statistically insignificant in univariate analysis, stretching time was significantly different in multivariate analysis between the injured and non-injured groups of competitors (p=.039). As the stretching time increased, the probability of injury risk also increased.

All deadlift-related injuries were on the lumbopelvic area. The stretching time was significantly different between the injured and non-injured groups. Every athlete who performed stretches for more than 15 min had deadlift-related lumbopelvic injuries. These results provide useful information for physicians, therapists, and trainers in planning warm-up routines for exercise programs.