The common mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in judo: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND

Although high prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL) in judokas has been reported, there has been very little research concerning events preceding the injury.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the common situations and mechanisms of ACL injury in judo.

METHODS

A total of 43 cases of ACL injuries that had occurred during judo competition or practice were investigated, using questionnaires with interviews conducted by a single certified athletic trainer who has 20 years of judo experience to obtain information regarding the situation and mechanism in which the ACL injury occurred.

RESULTS

The number of ACL injuries when the participant's grip style was different from the style of the opponent (ie, kenka-yotsu style) (28 cases) was significantly greater than when the participant's grip style was the same as that of the opponent (ie, ai-yotsu style) (15 cases; p<0.001). The number of ACL injuries was significantly higher when the participant was attacked by the opponent than when counterattacked or when attempting the attack (p<0.001). In addition, being attacked with osoto-gari was revealed as the leading cause of ACL injury incidence among the participants (16.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Grip style may be associated with ACL injury occurrence in judo. In addition, direct contact due to the opponent's attack may be a common mechanism for ACL injuries in judo.