Prevalence of Overuse Injuries among Taekwondo Athletes in Peshawar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Overuse injuries are common among Taekwondo athletes, developing gradually from repetitive stress rather than a single event. The sport’s dynamic nature, with frequent powerful kicks, makes the lower extremities vulnerable. Continuous strain from striking, pivoting, jumping, and sudden directional changes stresses muscles, tendons, and joints. This can lead to conditions like tendinitis, stress fractures, and ligament irritation. Without proper recovery or technique, these stresses accumulate over time, increasing the risk of overuse injuries. Objective: To determine the prevalence of overuse injuries among taekwondo athletes, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methodology: To determine the prevalence of overuse injuries among taekwondo athletes, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire. A total of 163 athletes were selected through convenient sampling from Qayyum Stadium, Hayatabad Sports Complex, and registered taekwondo academies in Peshawar. Data focused on identifying symptoms of overuse injuries. Continuous variables, such as age, were presented using means and standard deviations, while categorical variables, such as gender, belt rank, and injury region, were expressed in frequencies and percentages. Chi-square tests were used to examine associations between injury presence and variables like performance impact, training reduction, and pain severity. Results: A total of 163 subjects participated in this study, in which 161 participants (98.8%) reported positive responses towards overuse injuries. The most frequently affected age group was 15-25 years of age. Most of the athletes were male, 118 (72.4%). Most of the overuse injuries occurred in the knee region, 121 (74.2%), and had (p=0.016), followed by hip problems, i.e., 119 (73%) has (p=0.019), and least of the injuries occurred in the hand region 83 (50.9%) has (p=0.147). Conclusion: The study concluded to find the prevalence of overuse injuries among taekwondo athletes.