This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of injuries arising from kitesurfing.

We conducted a systematic search of articles from the last 20 years relating to kitesurfing orthopaedic injuries. Two of the authors independently conducted a systematic search of Pubmed (Medline), Embase, NHS Library and Knowledge Hub, TRIP, and Google Scholar: ultimately, after exclusions, the report analysed 25 articles.

Kitesurfing is associated with a high incidence of lower limb injuries in which protective gear is uncommon. Furthermore, a lack of educational initiatives and specified strength training may compound this risk.

Notably, there is a lack of prospective evidence documenting traumatic injury. Addressing this gap is a potential next step, to enhance our understanding of injury patterns and preventative measures.

Common kitesurfing injuries include those to the foot, ankle, and knee, typically resulting from falls or collisions with the board or water. While the majority of injuries are relatively mild, more significant injuries such as ACL rupture, PCL rupture, and polytrauma have also been reported. What are the new findings: This systematic review confirmed that the majority of injuries occur below the knee (average 50%). Injuries of the chest (average 8.5%) and head (average 10.8%) also make up a significant proportion of injuries sustained. Although the majority of injuries in kitesurfing are minor, due to the high forces typically involved, there is the potential for catastrophic injury including; neurological, internal bleeding, polytrauma and death.

Rink Hockey is a high-speed low-contact sport with a widely recognized injury potential. Played with a hard ball by players wearing little or no protective gear, the rates of concussions and head injuries are of high interest. In this study, we reviewed and investigated injuries sustained by 108 German National League rink hockey players. We conducted an epidemiological cross-sectional study to determine sport-specific injuries and injury patterns in female and male rink hockey players. Data were collected by a standardized questionnaire. A total of 108 players participated in the study. The combined rate of injuries were 9.4/1000 athlete exposures. There was no significant difference between injury rates during games and practice. A sexspecific difference was not detected. Head injuries were the most frequent type (20.8 % of all injuries). Concussions made up 7 % of all head injuries with a rate of 0.76/1000 athlete exposure. Ball contact was the cause for 31 % of injuries, while player contact generated 26.2 % of all injuries. High rates of ball-contact-related injuries resulted in time loss and medical consultations. Head injuries were frequent, however did not result in significant time loss as compared to other injuries. The use of protective gear should be recommended.

Formula Kite is an Olympic sport that mainly differs from other kitesurfing modalities for the use of a hydrofoil. It is considered an extreme sport due to the great technical ability required. Regarding performance, the variables that determine performance in a real competition situation have not been studied, and even less so with Olympic sailors. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the technical and tactical variables that differentiate elite sailors. The sample consisted of 42 Olympic sailors of the Formula Kite class, who were evaluated in three World Cups. Using a GPS device, the speed, distance traveled, maneuvers, and time spent on the courses of upwind, downwind, and beam reach were recorded. The highest-level sailors presented a higher speed in upwind/downwind/beam reach and a shorter time in upwind and beam reach. Performance seems to be more strongly influenced by technical variables, such as speed, than by tactical variables.

Kitesurfing is an increasingly popular and potentially dangerous extreme water sport. We hypothesized that kitesurfing has a higher injury rate than other (contact) sports and that the minority of injuries are severe.

To investigate the incidence and epidemiology of kitesurfing injuries in a Dutch cohort during a complete kitesurfing season.

Injury data of 194 kitesurfers of various skill levels, riding styles and age were surveyed prospectively during a full kitesurf season. The participants were recruited through the Dutch national kitesurf association, social media, local websites and kitesurf schools. Participants completed digital questionnaires monthly. The amount of time kitesurfing was registered along with all sustained injuries. If an injury was reported, an additional questionnaire explored the type of injury, injury location, severity and the circumstances under which the injury occurred.

The mean age of participants was 31 years (range, 13-59) and the majority of the study population was male (74.2%). A total of 177 injuries were sustained during 16816 kitesurf hours. The calculated injury rate was 10.5 injuries per 1000 h of kitesurfing. The most common injuries were cuts and abrasions (25.4%), followed by contusions (19.8%), joint sprains (17.5%) and muscle sprains (10.2%). The foot and ankle were the most common site of injury (31.8%), followed by the knee (14.1%) and hand and wrist (10.2%). Most injuries were reported to occur during a trick or jump. Although the majority of injuries were mild, severe injuries like an anterior cruciate ligament tear, a lumbar spine fracture, a bimalleolar ankle fracture and an eardrum rupture were reported.

The injury rate of kitesurfing is in the range of other popular (contact) sports. Most injuries are relatively mild, although kitesurfing has the potential to cause serious injuries.