M N Zetaruk1, M A Violán2, D Zurakowski3 and L J Micheli3
1 Childrens Hospital, University of Manitoba, Canada
2 University of Barcelona, Spain
3 Childrens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA,
USA
Correspondence to:
Dr Zetaruk
Pediatric Sports and Dance Medicine Program, Childrens Hospital,
840 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg MB, R3A 1S1, Canada;
[email protected]
Objective: To compare five martial arts with respect to injury
outcomes.
Methods: A one year retrospective cohort was studied using an
injury survey. Data on 263 martial arts participants (Shotokan
karate, n = 114; aikido, n = 47; tae kwon do, n = 49; kung fu, n =
39; tai chi, n = 14) were analysed. Predictor variables included
age, sex, training frequency (<=3 h/week v >3 h/week),
experience (=3 years), and martial art style. Outcome measures were
injuries requiring time off from training, major injuries (>=7
days off), multiple injuries (>=3), body region, and type of
injury. Logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (OR)
and confidence intervals (CI). Fishers exact test was used for
comparisons between styles, with a Bonferroni correction for
multiple comparisons.
Results: The rate of injuries, expressed as percentage of
participants sustaining an injury that required time off training a
year, varied according to style: 59% tae kwon do, 51% aikido, 38%
kung fu, 30% karate, and 14% tai chi. There was a threefold
increased risk of injury and multiple injury in tae kwon do than
karate (p=18 years of age were at greater risk of injury than
younger ones (p3 h/week was also a significant predictor of injury
(p
Conclusions: There is a higher rate of injury in tae kwon do than
Shotokan karate. Different martial arts have significantly
different types and distribution of injuries. Martial arts appear
to be safe for young athletes, particularly those at beginner or
intermediate levels.