Epidemiology of Injuries in High-Performance Taekwondo: A Systematic Review

TL;DR

This study reviews injury patterns in elite taekwondo athletes, finding that lower limb injuries from direct contact are most common, especially during competitions.

Contribution

The paper provides a systematic review of injury epidemiology in high-performance taekwondo, highlighting gaps in injury prevention and reporting standards.

Findings

Lower limb injuries, particularly to the foot and knee, are most common in elite taekwondo.

Contusions are the most frequent injury type, followed by sprains and ligament tears.

Injury incidence is higher during competition than training, with direct contact being the main cause.

Abstract

Taekwondo is a traditional South Korean martial art and Olympic combat sport that has gained global popularity. At elite competitive levels, its high-intensity, full-contact nature carries a substantial risk of injury. The aim of this study was to synthesize current evidence on the epidemiology of injuries in high-performance taekwondo athletes and to inform future injury-prevention strategies. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and SportDiscus (February-March 2025). Search terms included Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) “Wounds and Injuries,” “Athletes,” and “Martial Arts,” as well as the free term “taekwondo,” combined with Boolean operators. Eligible studies were observational, published in English or Spanish between 2018 and 2024, and involved elite taekwondo athletes. Data extraction and methodological quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. Quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for prevalence studies. After conducting the research, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Lower limb injuries - particularly to the foot and knee - were the most common. Contusions predominated, followed by sprains and ligament tears. Direct contact was the leading cause of injury; overuse was more frequent in training settings. Most injuries were of low severity, resulting in one to seven days of time loss. Incidence rates varied due to heterogeneous denominators (athlete-exposures, minutes, or hours) but were generally higher during competition. Methodological quality ranged from moderate to high, with frequent shortcomings in bias control and standardized outcome measurement. In conclusion, high-performance taekwondo athletes are most prone to lower limb injuries, especially contusions from direct contact in competition. Preventive programs should focus on lower limb protection, impact absorption, and overuse reduction. Future research should standardize injury definitions, denominators, and reporting methods to enhance comparability and inform evidence-based prevention strategies.

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