Injuries in martial arts and combat sports: Prevalence, characteristics and mechanisms

Abstract

Summary Objective To measure sports injuries prevalence, types and mechanisms, considering grappling and impact modalities. Equipment and methods An observational, descriptive epidemiology study was conducted involving 125 recreational practitioners. Subjects were inquired regarding the type of martial arts and combat sports (MACS), age, practice time and weekly training volume. Results From all, 53.6% athletes suffered injury in the last 12 months. The most common were tendon injuries (39%) and sprains (39%), followed by dislocation/subluxation (23%). In grappling MACS, as Judo, joints injuries were the most frequent, especially the knees and shoulders. For striking modalities, such as Karate, muscle injuries were more frequent and the most common sites were feet and toes, followed by hands and fingers. The lower limbs were the most affected site (χ2 = 67.8, P Conclusion There was a high percentage of injury in lower limbs for both modality groups, and the higher frequency of injuries in the upper limbs were the shoulders, hands and fingers, while for lower limbs were the feet and toes, ankles and knees. Injury occurred mainly during technical training and, in most cases, without protective equipment.