Most frequent judo injuries in the high-performance center of the Arica region

BACKGROUND: In sports practice, injuries that can limit performance usually occur; so, it is necessary to timely evaluate these injuries, as well as to determine intrinsic factors that predispose them to occur. In recent years, athletes have included a prophylactic injury detection study. However, not all sports teams have this assessment; a sample of them is the high-performance judo team from Arica, in which the injuries present in its athletes are unknown. This fact motivated the realization of the present study, which aimed to identify through the ultrasound study, the injuries and the predisposing factors of injuries, more frequent in judokas belonging to the Arica High-Performance Center. METHODS: A descriptive, comparative investigation was carried out, which included a sample of 15 athletes of both sexes who underwent ultrasound evaluation in joint planes of greater use in the motor gesture of judo. RESULTS: Synovitis, misalignment of the extension mechanism, changes in the menisci’s ultrasound pattern, strains of the articular capsule of the fingers 2, 3, and 4 of the hands and acromion-clavicular disjunction were found as the most frequent findings. CONCLUSIONS: Being the males the most affected and the knee the most damaged anatomical area, we consider that prophylactic programs should be included to prevent injuries in the Ariqueño judokas since there was a high prevalence of damage, especially in the lower limbs at the articular level.