Rowing, Injuries in

Rowing is a sport that has existed for centuries and was one of the first sports included in the modern Olympics. It consists of two main categories: sweep rowing and sculling. In sweep rowing, sometimes referred to as crew, each rower holds one oar and places it in the water on the rower's right (starboard) or left (port). Sweep events include the pair, four, and eight. While the eight always has a coxswain (the person who steers the boat and commands the rowers), there are separate event categories for the pair and four with coxswain (coxed pair and coxed four) and without coxswain (straight pair and straight four). In sculling, each rower has two oars and places them in the water simultaneously on each side of the boat. Sculling events include the single, double, and quad (one, two, and four rowers, respectively).

The rowing stroke is composed of four different parts: the catch, drive, finish, and recovery. At the catch, the body is fully compressed, and the oar handle is rotated and lifted to place the blade into the water. The drive consists of extending the legs and then swinging the back past 90°. At the finish, the arms carry the momentum generated by the legs and back by pulling the handle to the body and then pressing the oar down and rotating it out of the water. The final phase of the stroke is the recovery, the reverse of the prior two phases. Here, the arms extend away from the body, the body pivots forward at the hips, followed by the legs compressing back into the catch. The rower moves on a seat with wheels in the boat while repeating the phases of the stroke.

In addition, there are two weight categories: open weight (no weight restriction) and lightweight (in general, 126-pound (lb) boat average with 130-lb individual maximum for women and 155-lb boat average with 160-lb maximum for men). There are slight variations to these rules depending on the event and regatta. The weight control methods of lightweights should be monitored, as excessive caloric restriction and other weight loss techniques can increase the risk of injury and illness. Lightweights are at risk for eating disorders, and female lightweights are at risk for the female athlete triad, both of which are addressed in other entries of this encyclopedia.

Rowing on the water or performing the rowing motion on an ergometer (on-land rowing machine) has great cardiovascular benefits as well as skeletal benefits for the spine. However, because rowing involves repetitive movements, this sport can lead to overuse injuries. This risk is increased as rowers aggressively increase training loads on the ergometer, on the water, and in the weight room. Tissues adjust to increased training loads at different rates. Muscles adapt most quickly, followed by bones, ligaments, tendons, and then cartilage. Thus, in addition to muscular injuries, as loads are increased when muscles adapt sufficiently, excessive strain is placed on the other tissues, leading to fractures, inflammation, and/or tears.

During the drive, up to 4.6 times the body weight is loaded on the lumbar region. Along with back extension and flexion, sweep rowing involves a twisting motion of the spine in the direction of the oar. The back is therefore the most commonly [Page 1234]injured site in rowing. Injuries include vertebral disk problems (bulges, herniations, etc.), spinal fractures (spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis), and muscle strains. Even the sacroiliac (SI) joint may sometimes become painful because of rotational stress at the site, leading to partial shifts in a joint that is typically nonmoving.

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