Pattern of Injuries in Indian Wrestlers

Abstract

Objectives: Wrestling is a popular sport the world over. As one of the sports played during the Olympic games, it sees high player participation at both school and scholastic levels. However, player to player contact and its arduous nature leads to a high incidence of injuries. In spite of this, it has received little attention, especially with respect to injury rate in the Indian wrestlers. Hence, our aim was to study their pattern in these wrestlers. Material and Methods: We performed an observational study involving 190 wrestlers who were followed up over a period of 2 years. Their injuries were studied by means of a structured questionnaire, which they filled up with assistance from their athletic trainers. Results: A total of 184 injuries occurred in 190 wrestlers (≥16 years) with an injury rate of 5.08/1000 athlete exposure (A-E). There were 47.83% new injuries, while 52.1% were recurrent. Injuries that occurred during practice sessions were more than those during competitions. Most injuries occurred to the knee joint, followed by the shoulder joint. Ligament sprains and muscular strains were the most frequent injuries. Wrestlers practicing Freestyle (FS): Greeco-roman (GR) was 5.3:1. Statistically significant injuries to the trunk occurred in those practicing FS style. Ten wrestlers were operated for knee injuries. Conclusion: Indian wrestlers are at risk of higher injury rates, with the majority being recurrent and occurring mostly in practice sessions. The knee joint is most commonly involved, followed by the shoulder. FS is the preferred style and more commonly associated with trunk injuries. The goal of our study was to study the pattern of injuries in the Indian wrestler and to minimize the risk of injury by understanding the factors responsible.