Physiological profile and incidence of injuries among elite figure skaters

Abstract

The physiological responses to skating and the incidence of injuries were recorded in young, Danish elite figure skaters (n = 8) over a 1-year period. The skaters' maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) ranged from 54.7 to 68.8 ml kg-1 min-1, and work intensity during simulated competitive figure skating corresponded to 89% VO2 max. Before the onset of competitive skating, but after a warm-up, blood lactate (BLa) concentration was measured as 2.0 +/- 0.05 mM (means +/- S.E.). After a 4-min run, BLa increased to 8.0 +/- 0.6 mM. The subjects' resting heart rates were measured each morning over a 1-year period and corresponded to 53 +/- 2 and 58 +/- 3 beats min-1 for the males and females respectively, with no systematic season-related variations. The skaters trained for 15-41 h per week, 60-95 min of this time being spent on warm-up activities. The injury incidence rate during competitive skating was recorded as 1.4 injuries per 1000 h of training, 56% of these being acute and 44% chronic injuries. Of those injuries registered, 83% were recalled by the skaters when a retrospective questionnaire was given to them at the end of the observation period. This study indicates that ice figure skating is associated with high aerobic power. Furthermore, Danish skaters spend large amounts of time on training, including warm-up and stretching. Despite the amount of training and the intensity of ice-skating programmes, injury rates are low compared with other sporting events.