Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a rapidly growing grappling sport with a wide spectrum of participants. This cross-sectional study examined the lifetime prevalence of concussion in adult BJJ ...practitioners in the United States using a 17-item survey. A total of 778 (11.4% female) BJJ practitioners with a median age of 31 years completed the survey. Overall, the lifetime prevalence of the self-reported BJJ-related concussion was 25.2%. However, the prevalence was higher among females than males (43.0% versus 22.9%; X²(1,740) = 15.129;
< 0.001). Factors independently associated with significantly increased odds of having sustained a BJJ-related concussion included a prior history of concussion (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.14⁻2.74;
= 0.011) and female gender (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.04⁻3.65;
= 0.037). The median return to sports time was three days, with 30.3% of participants returning on the same day as being concussed. The present study represents the first epidemiological research examining the concussions in BJJ. The results underscore the need for increased education on concussions and return to sports guidelines among BJJ coaches and practitioners.
Background:
Combined partial lateral collateral and complete anterolateral ligament (PLCCALL) injuries are a specific injury pattern seen in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) because of the knee ...varus-flexion mechanism that frequently occurs during grappling.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of this injury pattern in a series of BJJ athletes with an acute knee injury and to evaluate clinical and functional outcomes after nonoperative management at a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Our hypotheses were that PLCCALL injuries are common in BJJ and that nonoperative treatment is associated with excellent clinical outcomes and return to the preinjury level of sport.
Study Design:
Case series; Level of evidence, 4.
Methods:
All BJJ athletes who presented with an acute knee injury between July 2013 and June 2017 and who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee were included. A specific emphasis was placed on identifying those whose imaging demonstrated PLCCALL injury. Clinical evaluation included physical examination as well as Lysholm and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores.
Results:
Of the 27 patients analyzed, 7 (25.9%) had MRI-proven PLCCALL injuries. The mean follow-up after nonoperative management was 41.3 months. The mean IKDC and Lysholm scores were 94 and 92 before the injury, 26 and 36 at the initial assessment after the injury, and 83 and 78 at 12-month follow-up, respectively (P < .00001). All 7 patients had returned to their preinjury level of sports by the 12-month follow-up. The mean time between injury and return to competition level was 4.7 months (range, 4-6 months).
Conclusion:
PLCCALL injury is a specific but infrequent injury pattern in BJJ. The prognosis of this injury after nonoperative treatment appears to be excellent. Improved functional scores (IKDC and Lysholm) and changes on MRI demonstrated that the anterolateral ligament has intrinsic healing potential, as the images showed complete healing of the previously documented rupture of the anterolateral ligament from its proximal attachment.
Background:
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a unique style of martial arts with rapid growth in the United States and internationally. Although studies have examined injuries in other martial arts and ...combat sports, to date, no published medical study has examined injuries in BJJ competitions.
Purpose:
(1) To estimate the incidence of injuries in BJJ competitions and (2) to identify and describe the types and mechanisms of injuries associated with competitive BJJ.
Study Design:
Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods:
Injury data were obtained from records of on-site medical coverage at 8 statewide BJJ tournaments in Hawaii, USA, between 2005 and 2011.
Results:
The identified injury incidence on the day of matches was 9.2 per 1000 exposures (46 injuries out of 5022 exposures, ie, match participations). Orthopaedic injuries were the most common and accounted for 78% of all injuries (n = 36), followed by costochondral or rib injuries (n = 7) and lacerations requiring medical care (n = 3). The elbow was found to be the joint most commonly injured during BJJ competitions, with the arm bar being the most common mechanism. We propose that this BJJ-specific injury mechanism, the “arm bar,” be recognized as another mechanism of hyperextension injury to the elbow in sports.
Conclusion:
Comparison of the BJJ injury data with injury data reported for judo, taekwondo, wrestling, and mixed martial arts showed that BJJ competitors were at substantially lower risk of injury compared with these other sports. With orthopaedic injuries being most common and the elbow being the area most vulnerable to injury in BJJ, it is important that participants, referees, and physicians be properly educated about the unique mechanisms of injury that can occur, particularly to the elbow.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on groundwork, joint locks, and chokeholds. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of injuries sustained during BJJ training. ...A 27-question research survey was e-mailed to 166 BJJ gyms in the United States. Demographic information, belt level, weight class, training hours, competition experience, and injury prevalence data were collected. The majority of respondents were Caucasian (n = 96) males (n = 121) with an average age of 30.3 years. Overall, the most common injury locations were to the hand and fingers (n = 70), foot and toes (n = 52), and arm and elbow (n = 51). The most common medically diagnosed conditions were skin infections (n = 38), injuries to the knee (n =26), and foot and toes (n = 19). The most common non-medically diagnosed injuries occurred to the hand and fingers (n = 56), arm and elbow (n = 40), and foot and toes (n = 33). In general, athletes were more likely to sustain distal rather than proximal injuries. Athletes reported more frequent medically diagnosed injuries to the lower extremity and more frequent self-diagnosed injuries to the upper extremity. Upper extremity injuries appear to be more frequent but less severe than lower extremity injuries with the opposite being true for lower extremity injuries.
We report two occurrences of high-grade tears of the lateral collateral ligament complex (LCLC), consisting of the anterolateral ligament (ALL) and fibular collateral ligament (FCL). One injury ...occurred in a rock climber and the other in a martial artist. Increasing awareness of isolated injuries of the LCLC will allow for appropriate diagnosis and management. We review and discuss the anatomy of the LCLC, the unique mechanism of isolated injury, as well as physical and imaging examination findings.
Creatine (CR) is considered an effective nutritional supplement having ergogenic effects, which appears more pronounced in upper-body compared to lower-body exercise. Nevertheless, results regarding ...the impact of CR loading on repeated high-intensity arm-cranking exercise are scarce and in some cases conflicting. Interestingly, few of the conducted studies have structured their research designs to mimic real world sporting events. Therefore, our purpose was to address the hypothesis that CR ingestion would increase anaerobic power output in consecutive upper-body intermittent sprint performance (UBISP) tests designed to simulate wrestling matches on a competition-day.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, 20 trained wrestlers were assigned to either placebo or CR supplemented group (0.3 g ∙ kg(-1) of body mass per day). Four 6-min UBISP tests interspersed with 30-min recovery periods were performed before (trial 1) and after 5 days (trial 2) of supplementation. Each test consisted of six 15-s periods of arm-cranking at maximal executable cadence against resistance of 0.04 kg ∙ kg(-1) body mass interspersed with 40-s unloaded easy cranking periods and 5-s acceleration intervals (T1-T4). Mean power (MP), peak power (PP), fatigue index and heart rate parameters were measured during UBISP tests. Also, body weight and hydration status were assessed. Principle measures were statistical analysed with mixed-model ANOVAs.
Mean individual CR consumption in the CR group was 24.8 ± 2.5 g ∙ d(-1). No significant (P > 0.05) differences occurred in body mass or hydration status indices between the groups or across trials. MP, PP and fatigue index responses were unaffected by supplementation; although, a significant reduction in MP and PP did occurred from T1 to T4 in both trial 1 and 2 (P < 0.001). Overall heart rate responses in the tests tended to be higher in the CR than PLC group (P < 0.05); but, trends in responses in trials and tests were comparable (P > 0.05).
These results suggest that 5-day CR supplementation has no impact on upper-body muscle anaerobic power output in consecutive UBISP anaerobic tests mimicking wrestling matches on a competition day.