Knee Injuries In Wrestling

Knee Injuries in Wrestling

As with all sports, it is imperative that all members of the athletic health care team are familiar with the injuries and illnesses that wrestlers experience. These injuries and illnesses range from skin infections and lacerations, to musculoskeletal strains and sprains. While they may experience a variety of injuries and illnesses, due to the nature of this sport, it is not illogical to hypothesize that knee injuries are common afflictions among wrestlers. Current epidemiological research addresses this exact hypothesis. More specifically, research studies and practicing healthcare professionals have begun looking at the occurrence of knee injuries among wrestlers, as well as causative factors. In order to provide

Kingingham and Monseau (2015), for example, identified pre-patellar bursitis as a common knee injury in the sport of wrestling. Pre-patellar bursitis typically results from direct trauma to the front of the knee. In wrestling, this usually occurs via repeated blows against the mat (Kiningham & Monseau, 2015, p. 405). Dr. Donnenwerth also identifies forceful contact between the knee and the wrestling mat, particularly when “shooting in” for a takedown, as the cause of pre-patellar bursitis in his wrestlers (Donnenwerth, 2018). While this trauma to the knee is, somewhat, unavoidable in terms of wrestling technique, there are strategies to help reduce the risk of developing pre-patellar bursitis. In Dr. Donnenwerth’s experience, the most effective way to prevent pre-patellar bursitis is to provide wrestlers with high-quality wrestling mats. Quality mats tend to be softer, as well as more effective at dispersing forces. In addition to high-quality wrestling mats, Dr. Donnenwerth has also had success using kneepads to help prevent re-injury in athletes with a past history of pre-patellar bursitis (Donnenwerth,

A study published in 2016 compared sites of injury between Greco-Roman and free-style wrestling. These researchers found that knee injuries were significantly more prevalent in free-style wrestlers than Greco-Roman wrestlers. More specifically, knee injuries accounted for 53 percent of injuries in free-style wrestlers, and 22 percent in Greco-Roman wrestlers (Akhmedov et al., 2016, p. 105). Dr. Donnenwerth and the authors of the article mentioned above associate this finding with the differences in the two styles of wrestling. Since the rules of Greco-Roman prevent the athletes from using their legs while wrestling, they are less likely to suffer knee injuries. Free-style wrestling, however, involves greater utilization of the lower extremities, thereby increasing the risk of knee injuries (Akhmedov et al., 2016, p. 105; Donnenwerth,