Analysis of the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain in Shotokan karate kata athletes

Introduction. The aim of the study was to verify whether long-term practise of the basic kata stances in Shotokan karate contributes to the occurrence of pain in the lower extremities and lumbar spine. Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of men taking part in Shotokan karate kata tournaments whose age ranged from 15 to 60 years with training experience between 5 and 42 years. A total of 57 valid questionnaires composed of 31 questions were selected. Results. The percentage of the respondents who complained of musculoskeletal pain was 82% (the most common locations included: 34% knee, 28% hip, 13% ankle, 11% lumbar spine); this group was then divided into 3 subgroups with respect to the length of training experience. They were compared with a group of subjects who did not experience any pain which was divided into subgroups according to the same criteria. In the first group, with less than 10 years of training experience, 75% of the subjects experienced musculoskeletal pain, in the second subgroup, 10 to 15 years of training experience, 81% suffered from pain and in the last subgroup, over 15 years of training experience, 86% of the athletes complained of pain. Conclusions. The occurrence of pain in the joints of the lower extremities and lumbar spine confirms that the ailments result from performing the basic stances. There is evidence for a relation between the length of training experience and the occurrence of pain in athletes taking part in kata tournaments.