GAINESVILLE, Fla. – More students involved in martial arts are ending up in the ER with concussions, a new University of Florida Health study shows.
And those injuries are happening more often in practice or class than in formal competition.
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The study found that concussion injuries in martial arts disciplines requiring emergency care have risen sharply since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The trend might be connected to an increase in martial arts participation.
But the study suggests that coaches and participants, from children to elite athletes, need to be safety conscious during practice and not just during competition.
The hike in concussions is seen mostly among younger boys and teens.
But the study, published in the journal Injury, found that concussions in girls have also increased since the pandemic.
“What really concerned us is that after the year 2020, when people started coming back into the arena or sport facility, the injury rate skyrocketed,” said Heather Vincent, the study’s senior author and director of the UF Health Sports Performance Center.
Vincent speculated that rusty technique and overexuberance contributed to the increase.
Most concussions, by far, occur in practice at recreational and sports facilities, noted Vincent, an associate professor and vice chair of research in the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
“Maybe participants in the general community are less prone to wear protective gear in practice or when training,” she said. “Maybe there’s less supervision or enforcement to wear safety gear, or situations where maybe they’re just not paying as much attention, especially children.”
The study highlights the importance of coaches and participants remaining vigilant during practice.
While the competitive stakes are lower then, Vincent said, it hardly makes a difference to the brain. Every head strike or contact matters.
The researchers could not find a study that assessed the ability of coaches and participants in martial arts, including junior ranks, to identify concussion symptoms.
“The fact that this issue has not been studied systematically is incredible to me,” Vincent said. “This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not doing it in small ways. We don’t know with certainty.”
The study examined emergency room visits at 100 hospitals nationwide, using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a database compiled by the federal government. Researchers collected injury reports from Jan. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2022.
They reviewed 581 detailed cases of concussion tied to martial arts. As a representative sample, the researchers estimated more than 19,000 cases nationwide during that decade.
Nearly 71% of the injuries involved male athletes, most of them children, accounting for 54% of total concussions.
Karate and a catchall category labeled “other forms,” which included martial arts styles like Krav Maga and capoeira, accounted for the highest number of concussions.
Males experienced a greater number of concussions than females in mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu and taekwondo.
However, females in judo and taekwondo were more likely to be injured during competition than practice, reversing the male pattern. (Fewer females participate in the sport.)
Nearly 86% of concussions occurred in sports or recreational facilities, while a small percentage happened at school or at home.
Most patients were treated and released, although a few were hospitalized, especially those practicing judo, kickboxing or mixed martial arts.
Vincent said she supports calls for athletes to carry what is called a “concussion passport” that tracks head injuries. The harm from brain injuries accumulates, with repeated concussions putting athletes at ever greater danger.
“So, as you move up experience levels, that kind of record goes with you so that coaches know you’ve been seriously injured before,” she said. “It’s important medically. And it also puts people on the lookout to ensure a participant’s technique is appropriate and that they’re being trained appropriately and know when to seek medical help.”