The prevalence and causes of bodily injuries in martial art kung-fu

Study aim: To assess the prevalence and causes of physical injuries in male adolescents participating in martial art kung-fu National competitions.

Material and methods: A group of 248 male subjects aged 14 - 18 years, participants of Iranian National Championships 2007, were subjected to questionnaire study. They were requested to answer questions about the types and causes of injuries they experienced. Chi-square function was used in data analysis.

Results: The injury risk was 28%. Among organ injuries, the prevalence of lower extremity ones was highest (61.9%; p<0.01) while among soft tissue injuries, the muscle tendon ones were most frequent (42.4%; p<0.01). The main injuries were contusions (32.4%) and sprains (30.9%), the main cause of injuries being the opponent's kicks (64%) and the main circumstance - opponent's technical foul (17.5%).

Conclusions: The quantitative prevalence of diverse injuries in the martial art kung-fu and of their causes ought to be considered by coaches, sport managers and the athletes when undertaking kung-fu training, organising competitions, etc.