Influence of Sport Specialization on Athletic Performance and Injury Risk in Collegiate Swimmers

Abstract

To assess the effect of swimming specialization on performance and injury risk in collegiate swimmers, thirty collegiate swimmers (20.1 ± 0.9 years [18.5 – 22.3 years]) were asked to complete an anonymous survey to provide information regarding their sports participation history, success in swimming, and the occurrence and quantity of swimming-related injuries. Specialization status was determined by the swimmers claiming they had specialized and by the number of months (≥ 8 months) they participated in swimming each year. Correlation analysis revealed several significant (p < 0.05) relationships between all determinants of specialization, swimming success, and swimming injuries. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the age at which an athlete specialized was the best predictor of the occurrence of a swimming-related injury (R = 0.34, p = 0.004) and the number of injuries sustained (R = 0.25, p = 0.019). Years of competitive swimming experience was the best predictor (p < 0.008) of performance in the freestyle stroke at 50-yards (R = 0.47), 100-yards (R = 0.53), and 500-yards (R= 0.43), the back stroke at 200-yards (R = 0.41), and the 100-yard butterfly (R = 0.55). The age at which the athlete specialized in swimming was the best predictor of the 200-yard individual medley (R = 0.30, p = 0.037). Our data suggests that swimming specialization may be beneficial for success in select swimming events but is not as important as years of competitive experience and may also lead to a greater number of swimming-related injuries.