2008, Volume 4
Injuries in martial arts and combat sports – a comparative study
Wojciech J. Cynarski1, Marcin Kudłacz2
1Faculty of Physical Education, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
2Committee of Scientific Research, Idokan Poland Association in Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
Author for correspondence: Wojciech J. Cynarski; Faculty of Physical Education, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland; email: sp_walki[at]univ.rzeszow.pl
Full text
Abstract
Background and Study Aim: Practising sport is bringing the risk of the age behind himself to injury. The most movement organs of the move are exposed. Competition is a being of martial arts and combat sports. The cause of damage is usually main mechanical energy. At present it is estimated that the number of sportsmen of high professionality with serious disfunctions falls within 30-70% and in the Olympic years it usually reaches higher limits.
Determining of the study of frequency and causes of injuries in individual martial arts and combat sports (boxing and kick-boxing, judo, jujutsu, karate).
Material and Methods: The research has been conducted on a target group of 282 practitioners of various martial arts and combat sports. As it happens in the environment of people doing sports, the majority of respondents were males – 257 compared to 25 women. (However, in statements by only two women there is information about injuries.) Those are contestants being at the top in the world, very successful in their sports. Among them there are Olympic, world and European champions. Among the practitioners of far eastern martial arts there are many holders of high and the highest master’s degrees of ‘dan’. The survey has been conducted with contestants at various ages among whom some fi nished their professional careers. There are also data concerning deceased people which had been collected earlier. The tool used here has been the ‘budo questionnaire’ consisting of five open questions. It is very important to note that some practitioners have done more than one martial art or combat sport.
Results: Among all combat sports and martial arts the most frequent injuries have been broken bones (21%) and damages of knee ligaments (16%). On the other hand, the least frequent have been eyebrow ridge cuts, elbow injuries, knocked out teeth (all consist 1%) and tensioned muscles, strained muscles, fractured bones, strained Achilles’ tendon, hand injuries, bruises, hurts and injuries of an eye (all consist 2%). Respondents skipped information about minor injuries like bruises and abrasions.Particular types of injuries were typical for particular forms of competition.
Key words: comparative study, injuries, martial arts, risk factors