LAUSR

Background Judo has a relatively high injury risk and hence research on training injuries in judokas can identify the risk factors and help to develop specific prevention programs. Few studies have reported data on training injuries in judokas. Objective To present an epidemiological study of training injuries in elite Indian judokas. Design Prospective observational cohort study. Setting Elite Indian judokas training at National Institute of Sports, under centre of excellence scheme. Participants 45 judokas (22 male and 23 female) were followed up from June 2011 to May 2016. Assessment of Risk Factors Height, weight, age, BMI were recorded at the time of their admission. Training data were recorded as per training log. Injury data were collected using a validated assessment tool by Finch et al (2008). Competition injuries were excluded. Main Outcome Measurements Injury rate, average injury risk, re-injury risk, location, type and severity of injuries (time loss) were analyzed and compared. Results The injury rate was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.63–0.88) injuries per athlete year. The rate per 1000 exposures was 26.0 (95% CI, 6.0–46) in males and 43.1 (95% CI, 24–62) in females. Average risk or incidence proportion was 0.73 (0.82 in males and 0.65 in females). The observed re injury risk (average probability an injured athlete is at risk of repeated injury) was 0.79 of injured athletes. No significant difference was observed in terms of body parts injured between men and women (p>0.05). Injuries most frequently occurred in the lower limbs (40.7% in males and 43.2% in females) followed by upper limbs, trunk, head and neck. The most common injury type was a ligament sprain (37%). Grade 3 injuries were significantly more common in women than men (p<0.05). Conclusions Indian male judokas have a high average risk of training injuries. Women are more prone to re injuries and severe injuries. Further studies are needed to address the impact of training- related risk factors for injury to implement effective preventive measures.