Injury profile in karate athletes- A literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Karate is the world's most popular form of martial art and like any competitive sport it focuses on high performance, and the health and safety of participants. Many sports injuries are reported in karate competitions. The goal of this study was to review the results obtained in the previous studies on injuries in karate athletes. Objective: To find the prevalence, risk factors, types, location, and injury patterns in karate athletes. Design: Review of literature. Materials and methods: A comprehensive search in the international databases of MEDLINE, PubMed, Science direct, SPORTDiscus, Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar was conducted. Studies included in this review were prospective studies, retrospective study, cross-sectional study, case-control studies, cohort studies, descriptive studies, correlational studies, and review studies. The study consisted of 20 studies from reviewed journals. Risk factors, types, location, and injury patterns in karate athletes investigated. The studies published from 2000 to 2020 are included in this review. Results: It has been found that the prevalence of injury is found to be mild, severe injuries are uncommon. Contusions are the most common type of injury in many studies. Injuries were mostly recorded in the area of the head, face, and neck followed by upper and lower limb. It has found that the risk of injury is greater in male karate competitors than females. Modifications of the fighting regulations reduced injury risk during karate championships. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is a problem of significant injury in full-contact combat sports like karate. It is impossible to eliminate injuries in karate as the impact that exceeds tissue mechanical strength has not been excluded. There is a need to develop specific injury prevention strategies in this sport. However, most of the injuries were mild, so karate is a safe alternative for sports fights.