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  • On the way to the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (2020). Prevention of severe head and neck injuries in judo: it’s time for action

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Editorial
On the way to the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (2020). Prevention of severe head and neck injuries in judo: it’s time for action
  1. Takeshi Kamitani1,2,
  2. Nikolaos G Malliaropoulos3,
  3. Masaki Omiya2,
  4. Yohei Otaka4,
  5. Kosei Inoue5,
  6. Natsuko Onidani2
  1. 1 Department of Orthopaedics, Japan Community Healthcare Organization, Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan
  2. 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Kanagawa, Japan
  3. 3 Center of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
  4. 4 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
  5. 5 Department of Physical Education, Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan
  1. Correspondence to Dr Takeshi Kamitani, Department of Orthopaedics, Japan Community Healthcare Organization, Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan; takeshikami0806{at}yahoo.co.jp

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097681

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    Severe head and neck injuries resulting in death or serious sequelae in judo have been recently reported in Japan,1 2 reaffirming the importance of establishing effective measures to reduce such serious injuries. We describe how and in whom the severe head and neck injuries occur in judo and outline the potentially preventive strategies.

    Injuries in judo

    Judo is a whole-body sport; however, injuries of the knee, shoulder and fingers are common.3 Head and neck injuries are rarer, with incidences of 2.44 and 1.47 cases per 100 000 judokas per year, respectively, but they tend to be more serious.1 According to accident reports submitted to the All Japan Judo Federation’s System, there were 30 cases of head injury and 19 cases of neck injury reported between 2003 and 2010.1

    Young players aged <20 years accounted for 90% (27/30) of cases of head injury. Many of the victims of these injuries had <1 year of experience. Head injuries occurred while being thrown in approximately 70% (21/30) of cases during osoto-gari. Osoto-gari …

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    Footnotes

    • Funding None.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.