Study on Incidence of Injuries Among Malaysian Karate Athletes and Correlation With Body Composition and Physical Fitness: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: There are limited studies that investigate the correlation of body composition and physical fitness components such as muscle strength, core endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness in relation to injuries in karate athletes. Our objectives in this study were to investigate the incidence of injuries among Malaysian karate athletes and explore the correlation between body composition, muscle strength, core endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness with the incidence of injuries. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 153 karate athletes from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. Demographic data, baseline anthropometric assessments using body impedance analysis, dominant hand grip strength, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) step test, and 1-minute sit-up test were obtained. Injury data collection was done retrospectively using the recall technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS V.26. Results: Our demographics showed 18.3% (n=28) are young adults more than 21 years old, whereas 81.7 % (n=125) are in the adolescent age group (13–21 years). 87 athletes sustained at least one injury with a total of 158 injuries. The incidence of injury was 1032.6 injuries per 1000 athletes exposure, with repeated injuries in the same athlete at 52.8%. Most of the injuries occurred during training (n=104, 65.8%). The most injured region was the head/face/neck (n=36, 22.8%). Higher levels of predicted peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) were associated with a decreased likelihood of sustaining multiple injuries. Conclusion: The significant injury rate among Malaysian karate athletes during training emphasizes the need for targeted prevention efforts with cardiovascular fitness being key to reducing multiple injuries.