Prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal injuries in parkour

Background & Study Aim: Parkour is a sport (extreme forms of physical activity) which consists in transposing barriers using body skills. Few studies investigated the prevalence of injuries in this sport. The aim of the study is the knowledge of the frequency and location of the damage within the body of people practicing parkour in Brazil. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study. Sample selection was by convenience. The study included 91 individuals (19.0 +/- 4.6 years) practitioners of Parkour with minimum experience of six months in the sport. We collected data on the prevalence of injuries and associated factors using a structured questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of injury was 61.5%, most frequently in the lower limbs (57.1%). Among the factors associated with injury, the variables that showed significant differences between injury-group and no-injury-group were age (p = 0.005) and average hours of training (p = 0.024). Conclusions: The prevalence of injuries observed in parkour was high and major in lower limbs. Regarding associated factors, age and duration of training session were variables associated with injuries. Other studies should be encouraged with a view to develop preventive strategies for this sport.