Karate is not only a martial art, but a discipline that combines physical and intellectual abilities such as strength, flexibility, reaction capacity and concentration.
This high-intensity combat sport, which combines aerobic and anaerobic exercises with fast and explosive movements, requires a high level of physical conditioning.
This is why good physical condition is essential to improve sports performance and prevent injuries; however, the risk of suffering a sports injury is not always avoidable, due to other factors that we cannot control.
The most common injuries in this sport will depend on the modality that the subject practices (kumite or kata):
- Kumite: ankle sprains, muscle injuries, fractures, concussions, ACL…etc.
- Kata: hip injuries (labrum, femoroacetabular impingement), bursitis, tendinopathies…etc.
In this article, Our physiotherapist Angel Ortiz Torres, who was a member of the medical team of the Spanish Karate Federation, talks to us about injuries in this sport and what measures can be taken to train safely and effectively.
Keep reading and find out a little more about your sport and how physiotherapy can help you!
Most frequent injuries in karateka.
As we have mentioned before, karate is a contact sport, which is divided into two modalities: kumite and kata.
In the In the Kumite modality, the karateka faces an adversary, the uncertainty and speed of combat making it difficult to prepare a defense or a next attack from an optimal position.
Below we show you some of the Most common injuries in kumite:
Sprains and muscle tears in combat sports:
Ankle or knee sprains are very common in combat sports. A wrong move or imbalance can force the karateka to have poor support on the ground and compromise the capsular-ligamentous tissue, causing anything from a sprain to a complete rupture of the ligaments.
Muscle strains or tears are common in karate due to the eccentric and explosive movements that are performed, requiring extreme joint ranges during movements such as kicks (mawashi geri or yoko geri). The most common muscle problems are those of the hamstrings and calves/soleus.
ACL Injuries and meniscus in karatekas:
Anterior cruciate ligament injury It is one of the most common and worrying injuries in sports. It is a crucial ligament for providing joint stability to the knee. Its injury usually occurs in twisting movements through direct or indirect trauma. In the case of karate, the most common moment of injury to the ACL is when the karateka receives a sweep, a direct kick to the lateral side of the knee or when performing a kick with one-leg support while unbalanced.
Below, we leave you a video of our international level karateka, María Espinosa, where she tells us about the injury she suffered at one point in her sports career. In this fragment we can observe the injury mechanism of the ACL.
On the other hand, the menisci are other structures that act as stabilizers and shock absorbers in the knee when distributing the weight and reducing the friction of the femur against the tibia. Meniscus injuries in combat sports occur when the knee has to rotate suddenly, when landing from a jump or in situations where there is maximum flexion of the knee combined with twisting. In addition, overtraining can lead to wear and tear due to repetitive use of these structures.
Fractures and bruises in karate competition:
Although it is a sport where sudden strikes are not allowed, some of these attacks, blocks or falls can be another cause of injury. The feet, hands, nose and jaw are the most exposed to direct contact during combat. On the other hand, the continuous impacts when jumping on the tatami can cause stress fractures in the metatarsals.
Cervical injuries and concussions in combat sports:
Direct impacts to the head and constant dodging are the source of minor traumas at the cervico-cranio-mandibular level. When the athlete is unable to avoid one of these blows, a concussion may occur (only 10% of these occur with loss of consciousness, so it is not necessary for this episode to occur for the injury to have occurred). In these cases, we must be cautious, not downplay the blows and supervise the athlete for 24/48 hours afterwards. Although it is true, most blows are fortuitous and do not generate a major complication.
In the Kata modality, although the above injuries may occur, it is different since the subject who practices it does not face any adversary, but rather performs a series of offensive and defensive techniques that simulate a fight against one or more imaginary opponents.
This modality requires positions, like shiko-dachi, that are very extreme at the joint level. Explosive movements and decelerations involve the neuromuscular and tendon systems.
From our experience over the years with those who practice katas, we know that the hips are usually areas of greatest pain and limitation.
Femoroacetabular impingement and hip labral injuries in karatekas:
Femoroacetabular impingement usually occurs due to abnormal contact of the head of the femur with the hip socket (acetabulum). There are several types (Cam, Pincer, Mixed).
This injury can lead to damage to the cartilage and the hip labrum due to direct trauma such as falls or blows, repetitive movements or degeneration over time. In the case of kata, the repetitive execution of the same gestures can cause microtraumas in the labrum. Internal/external rotation movements and maximum hip flexion combined with rapid and sudden turns can cause torsion in the joint and increase the risk of cartilage tearing.
Our recommendation in these cases is put yourself in the hands of a sports physiotherapist with the aim of carrying out a treatment focused on the decoaptation of the joint to improve stiffness, reduce compression and relieve pain. In addition, load management and specific muscle strengthening are important to cover the weakest areas involved.
Trochanteric bursitis and tendinopathies.
Tendons and bursae can also be a source of pain and dysfunction, with those related to the Achilles tendon being more common. Positions such as neko ashi dachi where the back foot must perform maximum dorsal flexion and support the weight of the karateka can affect both the tendons and the tibiofibular-talar mortise, causing pain during execution or even at rest.
We must pay attention to pain in the tendon and treat it, through physiotherapy and adapting the load, since as indicated by the University of Navarra Clinic in the following link Tendon injuries account for 15-20% of sports traumatology consultations, with 70% of athletes resuming sporting activity within two months and 15% facing retirement from sport.
Can you compete in karate if you are injured? Bandages.
The answer will depend on the type and degree of injury, but in competitive sports athletes often fight with pain or without having fully recovered from an injury.
As part of the medical team, physiotherapists are responsible for carrying out analgesic techniques and protective bandages in order to preserve the health of injured tissues and prevent further harm.
Here is a video where our colleagues Pedro Belón (physiotherapist for Real Madrid football team) and Nacho Cancela (physiotherapist for the Spanish Karate team) tell us some details about physiotherapy in elite sport.
Physiotherapy in combat sports.
Nowadays, the importance of the physiotherapist in sport is well known, and even more so in sports where there is direct physical confrontation between competitors.
Physiotherapy plays a fundamental role in the recovery of injuries in a shorter period of time and with better results for the tissue. It is totally recommended when it comes to reducing pain, improving function and performance.
Physiotherapy not only focuses on the treatment of structural tissue but on improving the system where cognitive exercises, selective attention tasks and coordination and balance exercises take on great importance in combat sports such as karate.
Clinics specializing in sports injuries in Alcalá de Henares.
In Our advanced physiotherapy clinic Evolution, located in Alcalá de Henares, we attend to athletes who practice karate and other combat sports on a daily basis. In addition, our years of experience in high performance, in this and other disciplines, make us aware of the most common injuries and the most appropriate and innovative treatment for both professional and amateur athletes.
If you are injured and want to return to sports in the best possible condition, book an appointment with us and we will accompany you throughout the process until you are fully recovered.
Access to Our sports physiotherapy and high performance areaFind out more about this service and contact us to explain your case and see how we can help you.
