# Epidemiological study of injuries in artistic swimming: a systematic review

## TL;DR

This paper reviews studies on injuries in artistic swimming, finding that joint and muscle injuries in the shoulders, back, and knees are common due to the sport's technical demands.

## Contribution

The study compiles and analyzes existing literature to identify injury trends and methodological gaps in artistic swimming.

## Key findings

- Joint-ligament and muscle-tendon injuries in shoulders, back, and knees are most common in artistic swimmers.
- Current studies have methodological limitations that prevent firm conclusions about injury patterns.
- More high-quality epidemiological research is needed to understand injury differences by gender and age.

## Abstract

Artistic swimming is a highly technical sport that requires a large volume of training and forced positions that generate a high risk of injury.

to compile scientific evidence on the incidence of injuries in artistic swimming. Literature study: PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus databases were used to search for studies that analysed the epidemiology of injuries in artistic swimmers of any age and gender until June 2024. Methodology: the methodological quality of the studies was analysed with the Strengthening the Reporting Scale of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA) were followed. Synthesis: eleven studies met the inclusion criteria showing a clear trend of joint-ligament or muscle-tendon injuries in the shoulders, back, and knees.

despite the publication of an injury surveillance document and a consensus on data collection and injury surveillance, there are methodological limitations that do not allow firm conclusions to be drawn. More epidemiological studies that follow data collection and injury surveillance guidelines are needed to establish differences by gender, age groups, and test.