Across genders and performance levels, ACL ruptures and vertebral disc prolapses were the most severe injuries with respect to time loss and sporting performance reduction.

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Background: Judo is a full-contact fighting sport that may lead to severe injuries. There are limited data available on the incidence of judo-related injuries. The French Judo Federation has established a surveillance system to document the frequency and type of injuries during judo competitions. Purpose: To describe the incidence rates and types of judo-related traumatic injuries during 21 seasons of competitions in France with respect to athlete (judoka) age, sex, and level of performance. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Between 1993 and 2014, each physician in charge of each judo competition filled out a form in which he/she documented the number of competing judokas, the number of fights, the number of medical interventions, the specific type of traumatic injuries for each intervention, the number of fight interruptions, and the number of athletes removed from the competition venue because of an injury. The age, sex, and level of performance of each judoka were also documented. Variance analysis was applied to assess whether differences in incidence rates of injuries between groups were significant (Student t test and chi-square test). Results: Surveillance of 421,670 fights demonstrated 3511 injuries in 316,203 judokas (incidence proportion, 1.1%). Among the injuries recorded, the most common were sprains (54.3%), fractures (15.6%), and dislocations (12.5%). Female athletes exhibited significantly higher incidence rates for knee sprains and elbow dislocations, whereas male athletes exhibited a higher incidence rate for shoulder dislocations ( P < .001 for all). Regarding age, higher incidence rates were observed in young adults (aged 18-20 years) for acromioclavicular sprains and in children (aged 10-14 years) for clavicle fractures compared with adults (aged 21-35 years) ( P < .001 for both). Both young adult and adult athletes had a higher incidence rate of shoulder dislocations ( P < .001). Regarding the level of performance, athletes competing at higher levels had a higher incidence rate of sprains to the knee ( P < .001). Conclusion: During 21 years of surveillance of injuries in judo competitions in France, the incidence proportion of injuries was 1.1%. Significant differences in incidence rates demonstrated when considering age, sex, and level of performance may help in developing strategies to prevent traumatic injuries in the future.

Side differences in the limb symmetry index during hop tests have been rarely investigated in uninjured athletes. Unknown differences can result in false interpretation of hop tests and affect return to sport decision. Hypothesis was that un-injured athletes in Judo and Taekwondo have side differences in hop test and that asymmetries can be predicted based on the athletes fighting display. Differences, risk relationships were analyzed using the chi-squared test and the odds ratio. A two-tailed p value of<0.05 was considered statistically significant. 115 athletes from the national teams were included (mean age 18.4 years; range 13–27 years). 93, 97.4 and 98.3% did not have symmetric hop distance for three hop tests. Up to a quarter did not reach a limb symmetry index of>90. Moreover, 57.4% (n=66) reached longer jumping distance with the standing leg. Ignoring such pre-existent side differences in evaluation of hop tests and not knowing which limb was dominant prior the injury, can lead to premature or delayed return to sports in the rehabilitation process. Therefore, it might be helpful to refer to individual jump lengths for each limb in case of injury by using hop tests in pre-season screening in professional athletes in Judo and Taekwondo.