Most Common Ultimate Frisbee Injuries – and How to Prevent Them
It’s no surprise in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that many Minnesotans love outdoor activities, including outdoor field sports. One popular, and growing, sport here is Ultimate Frisbee, where two teams of seven players try to score points by passing the Frisbee disc into their opponent’s end zone. It combines the running and endurance of soccer with catching and throwing, and it’s a lot of fun. It can also result in injuries.
“We get a mix of acute injuries that happen when, for example, a player falls with their arm in a funny position, as well as chronic overuse injuries, because a lot of Ultimate Frisbee players play on multiple teams at once,” said nonoperative sports medicine physician Kersten Schwanz. Dr. Schwanz works with a Twin Cities-based Ultimate Frisbee league and sees these injuries up close.
Most common injuries in Ultimate Frisbee
- Traumatic injuries that happen when a player leaps and stretches out to catch the disc, called a “layout,” then lands awkwardly
- Traumatic injuries that can result from collisions that can happen while making a bid for the disc, where two players are both trying to catch the Frisbee
- Ligament injuries in the knee and ankle, including ACL, PCL, and other ligaments, similar to common injuries in other field sports like soccer
- Rotator cuff injuries, because players are throwing repeatedly and putting a lot of force through their shoulder
- Concussions, both from players going to the ground and hitting their heads and from head-to-head midair collisions – as in soccer, Ultimate Frisbee players don’t wear helmets
- Overuse injuries, particularly in the arm and shoulder
How to prevent Ultimate Frisbee injuries
- Work on load management. “How much can you play each week before it becomes difficult for your body to recover from the repetitive, forceful throwing motion? This is an area of the sport that I really enjoy: helping athletes find their balance in terms of how much they can do,” Dr. Schwanz said.
- Have a plan for chronic overuse injury prevention. “It’s always important for these athletes to have a plan for times when their shoulder is starting to get a little bit angry, so they know how to address it,” Dr. Schwanz said.
- Commit to preventive strengthening exercises. If you’re wanting to play Ultimate Frisbee more often, it’s important to balance the demand you’re putting on your body. Strength and conditioning exercises can help you increase the load over time – ideally without increasing your injury potential.
- Fall safely. Ultimate Frisbee players like to fly all over the field, and sometimes, that means falling to the ground. “Within the sport, they do a good job of educating players on how to minimize the chance of injury when they fall, but there is always a risk,” Dr. Schwanz said.
