The 5 Most Common CrossFit Injuries and Pain Complaints We See in San Diego.

CrossFit Athlete Training

CrossFit rewards intensity. That’s the appeal — and, sometimes, the cost. After years around San Diego boxes and competing in the sport herself, Dr. Ashley Aguero, DC sees a familiar short list of complaints walk through the door. None of them mean you should stop training. Most mean something in your movement, load, or recovery is asking for attention.

A quick note before the list: this is general education, not a diagnosis. Bodies are individual, and the same complaint can have very different causes. If something’s lingering, getting it assessed in person beats guessing from an article. With that said — here are the five we see most, and what tends to drive them.

1. Shoulder irritation

The shoulder takes a beating in CrossFit. Overhead pressing, snatches, kipping pull-ups, handstand work — a lot of volume, often overhead, often under fatigue. What we commonly see is irritation that builds gradually rather than a single dramatic moment: a movement that used to feel fine starts to pinch, or the shoulder feels stiff and cranky the day after heavy overhead work.

Volume and mechanics are usually the story. When the reps pile up faster than the tissue adapts — or when overhead positions are limited by mobility — the shoulder is the part that tends to complain first.

2. Lower-back complaints

Deadlifts, cleans, and anything that hinges put load through the lower back, and the back tends to speak up when that load meets fatigue. The classic pattern isn’t the first heavy pull — it’s rep 18 of a metcon, when mechanics quietly drift and the spine starts doing work the hips and legs are too tired to do.

Most of what we see here is movement under fatigue rather than a single bad lift. Sharp pain, pain that travels down a leg, or anything that changes how you move is worth getting looked at sooner rather than later.

3. Knee pain

High-volume squatting, box jumps, double-unders, lunges — the knees absorb a lot of repeated load in this sport. The complaints we see most often sit around the front of the knee or just below the kneecap, and they tend to flare when training volume jumps quickly: a new cycle, a competition prep, a week with a lot of legs.

The knee is often the messenger rather than the source. Hip and ankle mobility, landing mechanics, and how fast volume ramped all tend to show up at the knee, which is part of why a movement assessment is worth more than just resting and hoping.

4. Wrist pain

Front rack positions, receiving cleans, and any pressing or handstand work ask a lot of the wrists — especially as load and volume climb. What we commonly see is discomfort in the front of the wrist when the joint is loaded in extension, like catching a clean or holding a front rack.

Mobility and position usually play a role, and so does ramping volume faster than the wrists adapt. It’s an easy area to train through until it isn’t, so it’s worth addressing while it’s still a niggle.

5. Elbow and forearm pain

High-volume pulling — pull-ups, toes-to-bar grip, muscle-ups, heavy carries — loads the forearm and elbow hard, and the tendons around the elbow are a common spot for irritation to settle in. It’s common enough in the sport that it’s picked up a nickname, but the underlying story is usually the same: repeated grip-heavy work outpacing recovery.

Like the wrist, this one tends to creep rather than announce itself, which is exactly why it’s easy to ignore until it’s genuinely limiting your training.

What a sports chiropractor can actually do

None of these mean you’re done with CrossFit. The point of getting assessed is to understand what’s contributing to the problem and then choose the tool that fits. At ELATE, that usually means a movement assessment first, soft-tissue work where it helps — Myofascial Release Technique (MRT), cupping, or IASTM to reduce the sensation of tightness and improve short-term mobility — adjustments where appropriate, and movement work we send you home with to reinforce what we did during the session.

Just as important is the boring stuff: managing load, cleaning up the positions that are driving the irritation, and progressing back to full training instead of jumping straight back in. As a Doctor of Chiropractic who trains CrossFit herself, Dr. Ashley Aguero, DC knows the difference between a soreness you can train through and a signal you shouldn’t ignore.

When to get it looked at

A good rule of thumb: pain that lingers past normal post-training soreness, pain that’s sharp rather than achy, or anything that changes how you move is worth an assessment. Catching these early usually means a smaller, simpler plan than waiting until you’re forced to stop.

If you train CrossFit in San Diego and something’s been nagging, ELATE works with athletes in your sport every week. The starting point is an initial visit — a full assessment so any plan you get is built around how you actually move.

Training in San Diego

ELATE Chiropractic & Sports Medicine is in North Park, San Diego, led by Dr. Ashley Aguero, DC — a sports chiropractor who trains and competes herself. If you're mid-block for a summer or fall race and your body is sending notes, an assessment is a good place to start. You'll find everything we offer on our services page.