Sport-specific injury profiles and associated factors in elite wrestlers and judokas.

BACKGROUND

Wrestling and judo involve repeated physical contact and substantial musculoskeletal demands. Although the two sports share structural similarities, differences in sport-specific demands may be associated with distinct injury characteristics. This study compared self-reported injury profiles between elite wrestlers and judokas and examined factors associated with reporting multiple injury episodes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional comparative study included 289 Turkish National Team athletes, comprising 143 wrestlers and 146 judokas. Injury and health-problem data were collected retrospectively across the athletes' competitive careers using a structured self-report form. Athlete-level comparisons, ordinal logistic regression, generalized estimating equation models accounting for within-athlete clustering, false discovery rate correction, and multivariable binary logistic regression were applied.

RESULTS

Wrestlers reported a significantly higher weekly training frequency than judokas (p <.001). Longer athletic experience was associated with greater odds of classification in a higher self-reported injury-episode category in both sports. After accounting for within-athlete clustering and false discovery rate correction, judokas had lower odds of reporting neck injuries [OR = 0.27, 95% CI (0.12, 0.58), adjusted p =.016] and other shoulder injuries [OR = 0.43, 95% CI (0.24, 0.77), adjusted p =.049] than wrestlers. No statistically significant sport effect, injury-setting effect, or sport × setting interaction was detected for the reported injury and health-problem categories. Sprain, muscle strain, and skin infection were the most frequently reported categories descriptively. At the athlete level, athletic experience [OR = 1.20, 95% CI (1.08, 1.34), p <.001] and weekly training frequency [OR = 1.14, 95% CI (1.04, 1.26), p =.006] were positively associated with reporting multiple injury episodes. Judokas had lower odds of reporting multiple injury episodes than wrestlers [OR = 0.70, 95% CI (0.53, 0.93), p =.017].

CONCLUSION

Limited sport-related differences were identified in self-reported injury-location patterns, with significant differences remaining only for neck injuries and other shoulder injuries after correction for multiple comparisons. Athletic experience and weekly training frequency were associated with reporting multiple injury episodes. The findings should be interpreted as retrospective self-reported injury frequencies and associations rather than exposure-adjusted injury incidence rates or causal relationships.