Purpose: The hit reality television show “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW) is particularly popular among children. There are now summer camps, gyms, and other youth physical activities to train children in the style of ANW. The authors performed this study to investigate and characterize injuries occurring from this activity.

Methods: The authors performed a study of patients who presented to the emergency department or outpatient orthopedic clinic of a large children’s hospital from January 1, 2010 to September 20, 2017. Fractures related to ninja warrior training were identified by searching the electronic health record of patients with fractures for words or phrases that specified a mechanism secondary to American Ninja Warrior training or play. Once relevant cases were identified, medical records were reviewed in order to collect information on patient demographics, type of injury, treatment, and the number of visits required for treatment.

Results: 17 ANW-related fractures were identified, 14 in males and 3 in females. Ultimately, five patients (29%) required surgery. The majority of patients (11) were injured while performing ninja warrior-type activities while playing at home or at parties, while the remaining six were training in designated ninja warrior gyms. On average, each injury required three visits for treatment (an initial visit and two follow-up visits).

Conclusions: This study establishes that fractures do occur from ANW-type of activity.These injuries frequently require surgical intervention and multiple follow-up visits. By characterizing these fractures, the authors hope to raise awareness with the goal of primary prevention at the population level.