Skip to main content
AAPM&R 2025 Main banner
JFK
Final Program


Official Program
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
On Demand
On Demand
In-Person
In-Person
Livestream
Livestream
Invite Only
Invite Only
Ticketed
Ticketed
Coffee Break
Coffee Break
Meal
Meal
Reception
Reception
Rate ePoster

Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine

Karate Injuries Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments – A 20-Year Analysis

Saturday, October 25, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Kiosk 8

    Primary Author(s)

  • BS

    Brent Shimoda, Other

    Medical Student
    University of Hawaii, John A Burns School of Medicine
    Honolulu, Hawaii

    • Poster Presenter(s)

  • Eli M. Snyder, Other

    Medical Student
    University of Hawaii at Manoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine
    Honolulu, Hawaii

    • Co-Author(s)

  • KO

    Kyle K. Obana, MD

    Orthopedic Surgery Resident
    NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
    New York, New York

  • DT

    David Trofa, MD

    Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
    Columbia University
    Eastchester, New York

  • Henry L. Lew, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

    Professor
    VCU and U of Hawaii
    Honolulu, Hawaii

  • CA

    Cedric K. Akau, MD, MPH

    Physiatrist, Hawaii Pacific Medical Group and Clinical Professor, John A. Burns School of Medicine
    Straub Benioff Medical Center
    Honolulu, Hawaii

Disclosure(s):
Eli M. Snyder, Other: No financial relationships to disclose
Henry L. Lew, MD, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose
Cedric K. Akau, MD, MPH: No financial relationships to disclose
Background and/or Objectives: Karate is a martial art that has gained popularity since its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, yet there is a paucity of research analyzing karate injuries. This study assesses the incidence, etiologies, anatomic regions, and trends associated with karate-related injuries presenting to United States emergency departments over a 20-year study period.

Design: Retrospective cohort study. National estimates were calculated using the associated statistical weight of the reporting hospital. Linear regression analyses identified injury trends.

Setting : 100 United States (US) emergency departments (EDs) participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database.

Participants : Karate athletes presenting to US EDs from 2004 to 2023 (n = 4,672).

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: National estimates and trends among karate injury diagnoses, body parts injured, and mechanisms of injury.

Results: An estimated 157,931 injured karate athletes presented to US EDs from 2004 to 2023, with an average age of 19.0 ± 14.1 years (range: 2-84 years). Overall injuries decreased at a rate of 464 injuries per year (p < 0.01). Contusions/abrasion, dislocation, fracture, laceration, strains/sprain, and avulsion rates all decreased during this time frame (p < 0.05 for all). There were decreasing rates of injuries caused by being hit, being kicked/kneed, punching, kicking, twisting/bending, falling, and board-break attempts (p < 0.05 for all). The most common mechanisms of injury included falling (13%), kicking (13%), and being kicked/kneed (12%). The lower extremity was injured in 43% of cases. Concussions accounted for 2% of all diagnoses. Only 1% of patients were admitted for hospitalization.

Conclusions: Significant decreases in karate-related injuries presenting to U.S. emergency departments may be related to the World Karate Federation’s implementation of stricter safety protocols encouraging a shift from full-contact to more controlled Olympic-style point-scoring. Athletes may benefit from protective equipment innovation and new policies and techniques to minimize lower extremity and kicking-related injuries.