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Competition Injuries in Young Canadian Taekwondo Athletes Willy Pieter1 and Mohsen Kazemi2

School of Health Sciences, Science University of Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Department of Clinical Studies, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Purpose: To assess competition injuries in young Canadian male and female taekwondo athletes. Basic procedures: Subjects were 89 girls and 170 boys aged 6-17 years participating in a Canadian Junior Taekwondo Championship. Data were collected using an injury form that described the athlete, nature, site, severity and mechanism of the injury. Injury rates were calculated relative to athlete-exposures (A-E). Odds ratios were computed as well as 95% confidence intervals around the injury rates. Main findings: In the combined ( 10 and 11-13 years) youngest age group, the girls [333.33/1,000 A-E (95%CI: 170.00-496.66) vs. 134.62/1,000 A-E (95%CI: 64.10-205.14)] sustained more injuries and they were also at a higher risk of incurring an injury (OR=3.308, 95%CI=1.363-8.031, p=0.007). There was no difference in injury rate between boys [109.89/1,000 A-E (95%CI: 61.73-158.05)] and girls [90.91/1,000 A-E (95%CI: 27.91153.91)] in the oldest age group. The boys were also not at a higher risk (OR=1.420, 95%CI=0.579-3.479). Although the total injury rate for the head and neck region was lower (30.81/1,000 A-E, 95%CI=14.06-47.56) than that of the lower extremities (68.72/1,000 A-E, 95%CI=43.71-93.73) when collapsed over gender and age group, this difference was not significant. However, there was a higher risk of sustaining an injury to the lower extremities (OR=2.386. 95%CI=1.211-4.702, p=0.010). There was a higher risk of getting injured by a

Pieter, W. and Kazemi, M. (2007), Competition injuries in young Canadian taekwondo athletes, The 1st International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Beijing, China, May 16-17.

roundhouse kick (OR=2.294, 95%CI=1.160-4.536, p=0.015) when collapsed over gender and age group. Conclusions: Since taekwondo sparring competition is characterized by kicking, it is no surprise to find the lower extremities to incur most injuries. The roundhouse kick was most often implicated in injury.

Key words: Injuries, taekwondo, young, injury risk.

Acknowledgment We would like to thank Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College for funding this study.

Pieter, W. and Kazemi, M. (2007), Competition injuries in young Canadian taekwondo athletes, The 1st International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Beijing, China, May 16-17.

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