Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries among taekwondo players in Malaysia

Abstract

To determine the rate and types of musculoskeletal injuries among Taekwondo players from Taekwondo clubs in Malaysia. A total of 490 Taekwondo players from various clubs in Malaysia were involved in a cross-sectional study using a self-response questionnaire adopted from different studies and validated before the commencement of the study. The players were recruited from various clubs in different states of Malaysia. The number of players suffered from injuries was 300 as compared to 190 with no injuries. Males players suffered from musculoskeletal injures more than females (p = 0.019). Also, males complained of multiple injuries more than females (p = 0.019). The rate of the injuries among black belt holders was higher as compared to the colour belt (p<0.001) and black belt holders more liable for multiple injuries (p <0.001). The semi-professional players complained of sport injures more than others (p = 0.021). The longer the experience the higher rate of injuries (p<0.001). Most of Taekwondo players have suffered from injuries, these injuries sometimes are dangerous. These injuries are more common among male and semi-professional players. Coaches and players must emphasize on warming-up and stretching before the training/ competitions and cooling-down after, that will help to reduce the rate and severity of the injuries. In addition to that, awareness compaing among the players will help the palyers to become more careful during training and competitions sessions.