Injuries and rapid weight loss in elite Korean wrestlers: an epidemiological study

The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between rapid weight loss and injury patterns during the training of elite wrestlers, expected to represent South Korea.

Since 2019, data for elite wrestlers have been collected prospectively by the Korean Training Center. The data were stratified by sex, wrestling style, weight class, injury location, injuries during the weight-loss period, and weight loss method. The χ2 test was used to compare groups. The risk of injury was indicated by the Poisson rate with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

There were 120 male Greco-Roman, 120 male freestyle, and 100 female freestyle wrestling. The mean weight loss among wrestlers was 5.52 (±1.44) kg, and the mean duration of weight loss was 7.96 (±3.31) days. In general, all wrestlers used similar weight loss methods. We recorded 914 injuries in 340 athletes. Wrestlers had significantly higher injury rates during weight loss periods than during other periods of training (23.18 VS 11.93; p < 0.001). Most injuries occurred in the lower extremities (38.0%), followed by the upper extremities (25.9%), trunk (24.8%), and the head and neck area (11.3%). The injury severity was significantly influenced by sex, wrestling style, and weight class.

Rapid weight loss is related to the incidence of sports injuries in wrestlers. Most injuries occur during rapid weight loss periods in South Korean elite wrestlers. Moreover, the injury site and injury severity depend on sex, wrestling style, and weight class.