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bernard
23-03-2005, 12:53 PM
Hi SomaSimplers,

I found that one perfectly ridiculous in its content (bold outlined)?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15618336

Br J Sports Med. 2005 Jan;39(1):29-33.
Injuries in martial arts: a comparison of five styles.

Zetaruk MN, Violan MA, Zurakowski D, Micheli LJ.

Children's Hospital, University of Manitoba, Canada. mzetaruk@shaw.ca <mzetaruk@shaw.ca>

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 (<or=3 h/week v >3 h/week), experience (<3 years v >or=3 years), and martial art style. Outcome measures were injuries requiring time off from training, major injuries (>or=7 days off), multiple injuries (>or=3), body region, and type of injury. Logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI). Fisher's 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<0.001). Subjects >or=18 years of age were at greater risk of injury than younger ones (p<0.05; OR 3.95; CI 1.48 to 9.52). Martial artists with at least three years experience were twice as likely to sustain injury than less experienced students (p<0.005; OR 2.46; CI 1.51 to 4.02). Training >3 h/week was also a significant predictor of injury (p<0.05; OR 1.85; CI 1.13 to 3.05). Compared with karate, the risks of head/neck injury, upper extremity injury, and soft tissue injury were all higher in aikido (p<0.005), and the risks of head/neck, groin, and upper and lower extremity injuries were higher in tae kwon do (p<0.001). No sex differences were found for any of the outcomes studied. 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.

PMID: 15618336 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

These rates seem terrific and far from a true reality? I must find a complete copy of this paper. One year off training!!! 14% of Tai chi practitioners! :lol: :lol:

Diane, some of your GPs are strange in this affair?

Anonymous
23-03-2005, 04:29 PM
Bernard, it is just a hunch, but I don't think these injuries required the participant to be off for 1 whole year. Rather I think the sentence refers to the numbers of injuries sustained within a 1 year period. But I haven't read the paper either!

eric

bernard
23-03-2005, 06:42 PM
Hi Eric,
Here is the paper, but you need to register (free) and ask me for a password! 8)

Injuries in martial arts: a comparison of five styles (http://www.somasimple.com/private/injuries_martial.pdf)

I have no time yet to read it.

bernard
23-03-2005, 06:49 PM
Here is a little sentence =>

Only one subject sustained a major injury (strained neck muscle) in tai chi (7%). As the mechanism of injury was not specified by this martial artist, one can only surmise that it was the result of the sustained, intense muscular contraction observed in experienced practitioners of tai chi.

There were no cases of multiple injuries in tai chi.

The other case was a lower limb extremity case???