# What Factors Influence the Injuries of Canoeists and Kayakers over the Years?
## 4 Discussion  
The purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between the number of injuries (in terms of frequency and severity) in canoe and kayak disciplines and their association with sociodemographic factors (age, gender) and sports variables (amount of training hours). In the literature [1; 15; 19], it was found that older and younger kayakers experienced more frequent injuries compared to those in intermediate age groups. Specifically, younger kayakers tended to suffer more impact injuries, whereas expert kayakers were prone to overuse injuries. In our study, we observed that the likelihood of injury among kayakers was generally low across all age groups, with minimal differences between younger and older individuals. However, canoeists faced a higher likelihood of injury compared to kayakers in all age groups. Interestingly, this likelihood decreased with age, as evidenced  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**CANOE**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**KAYAK**} \\ \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Men**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Women**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Men**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Women**} \\ \hline
**INJURY** & **No** & **Yes** & **No** & **Yes** & **No** & **Yes** & **No** & **Yes** \\ \hline  & \(9.2\pm 3.1\) & \(9.1\pm 3.3\) & \(8.7\pm 2.5\) & \(9.1\pm 3.4\) & \(8.7\pm 2.8\) & \(9.8\pm 2.5\) & \(8.6\pm 3.2\) & \(8.8\pm 3.7\) \\ \hline MILD & \(8.9  
by the data we collected. Notably, the probability of sustaining a minor injury in canoeing decreased over time, spanning from the age range of 14 to 16 years to those over 53 years. Conversely, in kayaking, the likelihood of minor injury remains consistently lower across all age groups, with probabilities decreasing from the 14-to-16-year age group to those aged 50 years and above. These findings [20,21] confirm that, regardless of age, the risk of minor injury is lower in kayaking compared to canoeing. These data align with previous research which discovered that most injuries among canoeists were of mild severity and short duration, unrelated to sex or age. They observed that paddlers participating in both long-distance and short-distance seasons experienced more injuries than those solely engaged in sprint races. In our study, we found that female canoeists sustained more injuries than males, particularly between the ages of 14 and 40. In the literature [22,23], a higher injury rate is reported in women. The data illustrate that the likelihood of sustaining a moderate injury in canoeing decreases with age, from the ages of 14 and 16 years to those aged 53 years and older. In kayaking, the probability of a moderate injury remains lower than in canoeing until the age of 50. However, this trend reverses after the age of 50, with the probability of injury increasing in kayaking and decreasing in canoeing. This suggests that kayaking is less likely to cause injury than canoeing until the age of 50 but becomes more injurious thereafter. Regarding training, in the literature [24,25], it was observed that the greater the number of high-intensity training sessions during the competitive period (per week), the higher the likelihood of athletes potentially suffering an injury. Results indicated that canoeists who engaged in three or more high-intensity training sessions per week were more susceptible to injuries, with the greatest risk occurring in the months leading up to competitions. Most injuries are attributed to overuse [21,26,27], and many can be traced back to training errors or equipment-related issues. These findings emphasize the critical role of effectively managing training loads and ensuring adequate recovery to mitigate the prevalence of injuries among canoeists [1,28,29]. For physicians caring for injured athletes, a comprehensive understanding of canoeing mechanics, equipment, biomechanics, and training protocols is essential [30,31]. In our study, we discovered that the likelihood of severe or very severe injuries during canoeing increases with age.