What Injuries Do Competitive Divers Face?

Many divers diet in order to be lean and muscular, but restricting calories also can lead to low energy, fatigue and an increased injury rate.

Competitive divers face a high risk of injuring their shoulders, back, elbows, wrists and other body parts, according to a paper by a Loyola Medicine sports medicine physician.

"Even when a dive is perfectly executed, injuries can occur, whether traumatic or from overuse," Nathaniel Jones, MD, wrote in Current Sports Medicine Reports, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

A springboard diver hits the water at up to 19 mph, and a 10-meter platform diver at up to 37 mph. After hitting the water, their velocity decreases by more than 50 percent in a fraction of a second.