Epidemiology of injuries among Malaysian adolescent karate athletes: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Despite the wide range of injuries sustained by adolescents during karate, limited studies have investigated the type and frequency of sports injuries among adolescent karate athletes. This study would be the first to examine the epidemiology of injuries among adolescent karate athletes. Its objective was to describe the incidence of injuries throughout the 2023 season and the pattern of injuries among Malaysian adolescent karate athletes.

METHODS: From 1 January to 31 December 2023, this cross-sectional study examined 119 Malaysian adolescent karate athletes aged 13-19 years. Data on demographic characteristics and patterns of injuries were collected using a standardised form and analysed using SPSS version 26.

RESULTS: The incidence of injuries was 22.3 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures. Specifically, the incidence of injuries during training was 15.34 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures, while that during competition was 106.6 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures. The majority of the injuries were mild (n=113, 87.6%), while the minority were severe (n=6, 4.7%). The injuries most commonly occurred in the head and neck (n=31, 24%), followed by the ankle (n=13, 10.1%) and foot (n=14, 10.9%).

CONCLUSION: There is a need to explore the extrinsic and intrinsic risk factors of injuries among adolescent karate athletes in Malaysia, as the incidence of injuries is high during competition. Additionally, it is important to educate athletes and supporting sports science members about injury prevention programmes.