Prevalence of Injury Pattern among Karate Players in Delhi-National Capital Region- A Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Introduction: With increasing participation in karate over the past 20 years, many injuries are reported in karate sports. Although many articles and studies regarding injuries in Karate have been published till now, there is lack of studies in the Indian context, to specifically evaluate and document the injury patterns in karate players. Aim: To identify the prevalence, onset of injury, mechanism, and pattern of injury in aspiring national and international level karate players. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the karate players of Delhi NCR (National Capital Region) during December 2018 to February 2019. The survey was conducted on 204 karate players (132 male and 72 female karate players). Data was obtained by one on one methods of the interview using a self administered and close ended questionnaire in various karate academies. Karate players included were in the age group between 15-25 years and aspiring for national and international level with a minimum of 2 years of experience of playing. Recreational and novice players were excluded from the study. Data was analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 (SPSS). Results: Out of 204 karate players, 84 (41.2%) karate players were found to be injured at the time of the study and 90 (44.12%) players had injuries in the past 24 months. According to the location of the injury, head and face constituted the most injured body part (28.58%) followed by lower limb and upper limb. The onset of injury was found to be sudden in 57.15% of injuries and gradual in 35.71% of injuries and 65.48% injuries occurred due to direct contact mechanism due to punches and kicks. Conclusion: The current study revealed that karate was associated with a high injury rate. In karate the head and face were found to be injured the most followed by the lower limb and upper limb. More epidemiological studies are needed to understand mechanism or location of injuries during training and compare them to those injuries which are sustained in competition only.