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Hand and Wrist Injuries In Combat Sports pp 77–108Cite as

Finger Injuries in Judo

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Abstract

Judo is a popular martial art and Olympic sport practiced in nearly every country of the world. With the increasing popularity and professionalism, skills of judo players have been improved together with the increasing frequency and seriousness of injuries. Judo is considered among the sports with the highest overall injury rate during competition. The upper extremity is more susceptible to injuries than the lower extremity. Depending on the definition of injury, accounting also for minor soft tissue trauma, the fingers are found to be the most common injured body part. Injuries to the fingers predominantly result from grip fighting, being thrown, and attempting to throw or during groundwork. Most acute incidents are lacerations on epidermal level, sprains, and strains, while more severe injuries as ligament or tendon ruptures, finger dislocations, and fractures are less frequently observed. Infections may result from superficial skin lesions. Repetitive microtrauma and overuse can lead to finger polyarthrosis. Most finger injuries are of minor severity and professional treatment is often not necessary. The athlete is rarely impaired in his judo career or daily living. Prevention of finger injuries includes taping of the exposed interphalangeal joints to protect the fingers from abrasions and being twisted. Constant adjustments of the official judo rules are important to exclude dangerous actions and techniques that present a high risk for injuries. Regular breakfall and throwing training should take place under closed supervision, especially for beginners and young judo players until a technique is mastered safely. Building up strength and conditioning also has a significant role in injury prevention.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Karsten Lange for providing many of the photographs.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hand Surgery Rosenklinik, Rapperswil, Switzerland

    Nicole Badur

  2. Rimini Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation Center, Rimini, Italy

    Riccardo Luchetti

  3. Pediatrics and Sports Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Rainer Ganschow

Authors
  1. Nicole Badur
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  2. Riccardo Luchetti
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  3. Rainer Ganschow
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rimini Hand Rehabilitation and Surgery Center, Rimini, Italy

    Riccardo Luchetti

  2. Humanitas San Pio X, Milan, Italy

    Loris Pegoli

  3. Flinders University South Australia, North Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Gregory I. Bain

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Badur, N., Luchetti, R., Ganschow, R. (2018). Finger Injuries in Judo. In: Luchetti, R., Pegoli, L., Bain, G. (eds) Hand and Wrist Injuries In Combat Sports. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52902-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52902-8_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52901-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52902-8

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