Epidemiology of Judo-Related Injuries in 21 Seasons of Competitions in France: A Prospective Study of Relevant Traumatic Injuries

Abstract

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.

Fact-finding survey regarding judo-related injuries of judokas in developing country

“…In this study, the most frequent types of injuries were sprains/ligament injuries, followed by fractures and dislocations. Our results were similar to those reported by Frey et al 6) , and many severe injuries, including fractures and dislocations, have been reported in Mongolia. In addition, injuries that had occurred >1 year ago account for half of the injuries in this study, and we believed that severe injuries may have been prolonged.…”

“…Regarding the type of judo-related injuries, Pocecco et al 5) further reported that the most frequent injury types were sprains (5.6-59.8%), strains (7-33.8%), and contusions (5.6-59.8%). Moreover, Frey et al 6) reported that the most frequent judo-related traumatic injury types during 21 seasons of competitions in France were sprains (54.3%), followed by fractures (15.6%) and dislocations (12.5%). In this study, the most frequent types of injuries were sprains/ligament injuries, followed by fractures and dislocations.…”

UCL Injury in the Non-throwing Athlete

“…Two more recent studies evaluated the rate of UCL injury among combat sport participants. Frey and colleagues surveyed injury rates over 21 seasons of judo competitions in France evaluating over 400,000 matches involving 316,203 judokas [14]. The incidence of UCL sprains during this time period was found to be 17% of all injuries with a higher proportion involving more advanced practitioners competing in national competitions as compared with more amateur athletes.…”

Judo Injuries Frequency in Europe’s Top-Level Competitions in the Period 2005–2020

“…The rate of injury ranges between 12.3% and 30% [ 16 , 17 ]. Data on a large population (all ages and levels of performance) of French judokas during contests showed an injury incidence slightly above 1.1% [ 18 ].…”