Diving Injuries

The injuries listed on this page do not happen to every diver. It is a partial list of injuries faced by many different divers. This is not meant to be a complete list of Diving injuries. Rather it represents the more common injuries divers may face. It should be understood that behavior during practice may be one of the variables that influence the type of injury that can occur. The following is a reminder to coaches to be vigilant and suggest corrections to make the diver aware that injury could occur if they continue.

Most lower back (lumbar) injuries occur frequently at the beginning stages of diving because these divers must be taught to go deeper underwater before changing direction. Generally these divers try to get back to the surface before the entire body is submerged or they collapse upon impact. The mechanism for injury can be described as a whiplash action. As the body enters the water, water resistance begins to act by slowing the downward motion. That part of the body that is above water is still accelerating. Because there is an arching of the back in the steering motion, the results of the whiplash motion occurs in the lumbar region. The entry forces cause the back to arch beyond its normal range creating the stress and resulting injury. This action occurs very fast. It can happen above or beneath the water surface depending on the moment the diver begins to change underwater direction or just collapses at entry. The result is pain on motion or an achy feeling in the lower back. Sometimes the diver will not be able to continue to work out depending on the severity. For the most part this injury is not serious but is very painful for some divers. Chronic injuries of this nature could lead to spondylolysis and eventually to spondylolisthesis.

To avoid the above divers should be taught to hold the body tight through impact and not begin any steering maneuver until their entire body has passed beneath the water surface. This allows water resistance to act and slow the speed down enough not to produce the severe forces that can create the injury. Taking the dive to the bottom is a good rule of thumb for beginners to follow. Other things that can help are learning to hold and maintain good tight body alignment through impact with the water and some of the principles of underwater saves, such as the somersault save. Never arch the back on any entry.

Another area that creates this same mechanism for injury occurs upon take-off for the Reverse series. The diver arches the back while reaching to start rotation and at the same time as the board recoils the diver loosens up (sags) at the waist. Because the diver has reached and arched, the force of the recoiling board produces this whiplash action in the lumbar region. The injury actually occurs before the diver leaves the board.

Again learning good tight body alignment for these take-offs can prevent these types of injuries.

Head injury in this context means that there is a collision of the head with some other part of the diver's body. An injury is sustained when the knee or knees collide with the head. This usually happens on the entry into the water. Recreational divers usually experience this injury. It's as if they are attempting to do a somersault save before they get into the water. As their head touches the water, the knees begin to flex. Because of water resistance the head is forced further down and the knees accelerate toward the head. The injury sustained will be determined by where the knees collide with the head/face. This can happen with one or both knees. If the knees collide with the eye, there is an eye injury. If it collides with the mouth, the injury could include the lip, teeth and/or the knee. The best suggestion to avoid this type of injury is, Never pull the chin down at water impact. Get underwater before making any steering motion.

In my opinion hitting the board is a dumb thing to do. Most pools have 20 to 30 feet or more of water in front of the diving board end. The board only moves up and down, not forward and back. There are basically two ways a diver can come close to hitting the board.

1. Lean toward the board and you will come close or hit it.
2. Hipping into the board on back dives. This action creates the same result as leaning in.

It's that simple. If you don't want to be close to or hit the diving board then don't lean toward it!

The severity and type of injury sustained would be determined by a number of different factors. These injuries would be too numerous to cover in this short article.

Many shoulder injuries occur at the point of entry. This happens because the diver may not be ready for the entry, doesn't tighten up before the entry or allows the arms to collapse upon entry. Because of the forces at entry, an arm can be forced into a position it wasn't designed to be in. Sprains, strains on up to dislocation can occur. Any arm motion that occurs as the diver enters the water should have an initial forward not lateral direction. The more lateral the arms go, the greater the chance of a shoulder injury. Learning to line up and squeeze the biceps against the ears through impact can avoid possible shoulder and neck injuries to the diver.

Neck injuries were included here because the above description (biceps against the ears) lends support to the head also. There are times that the head can be forced to turn and move in a direction it is not prepared for. The biceps squeezing the ears prevents this unwanted head movement.

Most injuries in these 3 areas can be described as hyperextension injuries. Because there are so many ways to place/grab the hands at impact, injury can occur in numerous ways. The wrists are not strong enough to withstand the entry forces if the fingers are extended and entering first. The wrists will give out, bending or possible twisting during impact. Flat hand entries, especially from great heights, will cause a hyperextension injury by pushing the wrist beyond its normal range of motion.

Coaches have devised all sorts of hand grabbing techniques, which includes the thumb and/or fingers. One of the purposes for grabbing is to squeeze tight and not allow the arms to separate. During this process the forces at impact along with a diver's tendency to alter the position, hyperextension of the wrist, thumb and fingers can happen.

Simply paying attention to what you are doing can prevent most of the following injuries.

• Falling from the ladder leading up to the board.
• Falling off the board while walking in either direction. Remember the board is only 20 inches wide.
• Foot slipping off while making a fulcrum adjustment. Hold on to the safety rails while doing this.
• Slipping off the end of the board because there was too little foot on the board to begin with.
• Slipping and falling on the deck. Be aware of slippery spots on the deck.
• Bumping a shin or a knee on the ladder rungs leading up to the board.
• Stubbing or dragging a toe while walking down the board. Remember it's a diving board not an emery board.
• Spraining an ankle because one foot was not completely on the board.
• Slipping and falling against the pool side while trying to get out of the water.
• Hitting the head or face on the side of the pool while gliding back to the surface. Keep your eyes open and be aware of where the sidewall is. Don't daydream at this time.

It must be understood that accidents can and do happen. According to the principle of Informed Consent, when a body and/or an object or both are in motion, there is a real possibility for serious injury and even death. If you don't want accidents to happen to you, then pay attention to what you are doing! If you feel fatigued, stop and rest. Your safety is of the utmost importance to your coach. If there are any problems that develop, inform your coach immediately.

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