Relationships between injury and success in elite Taekwondo athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the rate and type of injury in elite Canadian Taekwondo athletes, before and during competition and to investigate the relationship between past injuries, injuries during competition and success. This retrospective case-series study incorporated Taekwondo injuries sustained by 75 male and female elite Canadian Taekwondo athletes over 10 years and its relationship to athletes' success by means of gaining medals during competition. A logistic regression model (using the Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) method) was used to investigate the relationship between injuries and success. Injury rate was associated with performance after holding variables constant (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.124, P = 0.039). Moreover, with each additional injury per match, competitors were 88% (1–0.124) less likely to win a medal. Although not statistically significant, additional injuries prior to competition were associated with a 30% increase in medal prevalence (OR = 1.299, P = 0.203). When comparing athletes (gender, tournament difficulty, injury variables), a competitor who is one year older is 10% less likely to medal (OR = 0.897, P = 0.068). When an additional injury occurred during competition, the athlete was 88% less likely to win a medal. Prevention, correct diagnosis, and immediate therapeutic intervention by qualified health care providers are important.

Keywords:

• Elite performance
• martial arts
• sporting injuries
• contact sports
• Taekwondo

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Mr. David Soave for helping with statistic analysis and editing the manuscript, Dr. Artur Chudolinski for entering the data and literature search, and Mr. Mark Dickson for editing the manuscript. The author would also like to thank Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and Anglo European Chiropractic College/Bournemouth University for their support.