The sport of fitness is no different than the sport of football, the sport of running, the sport of basketball. If you decide to play those sports 5 days a week, you will likely get hurt overtime with injuries of over use or trauma. It's not a surprise at all. So when there is talk about Crossfit being dangerous, I agree. It's as dangerous as any other sport you commit to. And if you pick up those sports as a mature adult....then it should REALLY be no surprise if you have sports related injuries along the way.
I missed a clean years ago (2012) and broke my wrist and tore the scapho lunate ligament. Now it will dislocate if I'm not careful to really brace it up. I can still HS walk, do MU's, clean heavy weights, etc...but I need to be careful. If it dislocates (which it has done 3-4 times since 2012) I have to stop and pull and wiggle the hand until the bones "clunk" back into place. Surgery would fix the problem but cause others in my "sport". So I'm not ready for that.
I felt a click in my knee on the back foot a few years ago (2013) on a light split jerk. It immediately felt weak and unstable and painful. I wasn't careful and didn't keep my back heel firmly turned out and it tweaked the meniscus. I had to make a few changes, now I split jerk with my right foot forward. It took a little time (4 months) but I can still squat full depth, do pistols, box jumps, etc...I just need to warm up well. And if I sit still too long without walking around the knee stiffens up when I get up and walk the 1st 10+ steps. It's just a little sore, but otherwise I can function in my "sport".
I recently found out I have a probable SLAP lesion (torn labrum) in my left shoulder. It's an irritant when doing push ups or muscle ups and things like that. Hurts over my AC joint. It clunks when I mobilize it pre-workout. It's not operative at this point because its still stable. (These issues are common with overhead athletes.) I think it all started with a missed muscle up last year where I didn't let go of the rings fast enough and my shoulder got hyperextended, Not terrible, just a little sore. Then in a pressing cycle a few months ago it started to be much more sore and hasn't gotten much less sore. Provided I focus on rotator cuff exercise and proper warm up, I can still play my "sport".
So how do you avoid these injuries?
How do other dedicated athletes stay healthy? The short answer is they don't.....Seriously, MOST athletes get injuries from their sports over time. They rehab and get back to it. There are very few Cal Ripken's in the world of sports. Most athletes spend some time on the disabled list. It's almost inevitable.
The long answer is:
Work on weak links-If you are prone to low back pain then you need to make supplemental core work and hip mobility part of your everydays. If you get an injury, you need to prioritize it.
Warm up for you-On my drive to the box I stretch out my wrists and have a little yellow theraband I warm up my left shoulder rotator cuff with. I hit the X-over symmetry a little bit, I have a shoulder and lower body mobility warm up I do.
Have good coaches-Good coaches will be able to take into account your problems and problem areas and modify WOD's for you and on top of that give you homework to address these areas.
Use good judgement- This may be one of the hardest parts for many because of the nature of our sport. We are constantly competing against ourselves and others. The internal pressure to do better must always be measured by the risks of failure to do it safely. Take the outfielder who runs with reckless abandon into the centerfield wall while catching likely home run. He might just hurt himself on that, but its a risk he is taking. Should he give up the home run? Only he can answer that. But he might end up sitting out the next 3 weeks if he hits the wall just right....
So fellow athlete's, I hope your sport is still fun for and that you stay healthy!
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