Common Figure Skating Injuries

Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, duos, or groups perform freestyle movements of jumps, spins, lifts, and footwork in a graceful manner. Figure skating was the first winter sport included in the Olympics in 1908. Its name derives from the patterns, or figures, skaters make on the ice, and until recently this was an element that was a major part of the sport.

The four Olympic disciplines of figure skating are men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating and four skating. Figure skating is broken down into two levels, intermediate through senior-level competition, where skaters generally perform two programs (short and long).

The rigors of training at young ages and the importance of flexibility can lead to overuse injuries to the back. Lower extremity injuries to the hip and knee are also common due to jumping nature of the sport.

Head

  • Concussion

Back

  • Stress Fracture (Spondy)
  • Facet Joint Pain

Hip

  • Labral Tear
  • Snapping Hip Syndrome
  • Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITB)
  • Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Knee

  • Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain (MCL)
  • Meniscus Tear

Lower Leg

  • Stress Fractures

Ankle

  • Calcaneal Apophysitis (Sever’s Disease)