Injuries during Equestrian Vaulting

Abstract

Background: Vaulting is the least studied equestrian sports regarding the occurrence of injuries. As its sequences of motion do not compare to riding, vaulting must be assessed separately. Material and Methods: This retrospective, questionnaire-aided survey was aimed to gain insight into the overall frequency of injuries among equestrian vaulters. The second part of the study looked into the knee injuries that occurred. Survey forms were sent to 60 vaulting and equestrian clubs all over Germany, making for a response rate of 63 %. Results: 95 % of 624 responding athletes were female. The pool of participants consisted of both amateur and professional level vaulters with a mean age of 15 years. The survey showed a mean number of 4.1 injuries sustained during the observation period, i. e. the entire time an athlete had been active in the sport up to the data collection. The lower extremities were the most commonly injured area with a total proportion of 45 %, followed by injuries to the spine and the head with 30 %, and the upper extremities with 25 %. Contusions accounted for the highest number of reported injuries. Other frequently reported injuries included muscle strain to the head and spine, fractures to the upper extremity and ligament damage to the lower extremity. 14 % of the participants experienced at least one knee injury. The medial collateral ligament (27 %) was found to be most prone to lesions, followed by the anterior cruciate ligament (23 %) and the medial meniscus (22 %). Half of all knee injuries occurred during dismounts, especially when swing-offs or flanks led to faulty landings. Conclusions: The results show that the lower extremity is the most commonly affected area. The ligamentous injuries affecting the lower extremity mainly result from dismounts. A specific training aimed at improving landing techniques might therefore prove beneficial in preventing injuries. The frequency of contusions and fractures to the upper extremity suggests that these injuries are related to falls.