Injury profile of Bulgarian male olympic weightlifters

D. Zaykova, M. Konchev

Abstract: Olympic weightlifting is a power sport which comprises snatch and clean and jerk. These movements generate great power through muscle contractions of great speed when moving the barbell quickly along the vertical. The aim of this study was to analyze locations, type, severity and reasons for the injuries among Bulgarian Olympic weightlifters. The research was done among 32 male Olympic weightlifters from Bulgaria. To assess the injury rate in the previous year (12 months), the participants were made to fill out a questionnaire which included open and closed questions about the type, severity, location, and reasons for the injuries. The calculated injury incidence among the researched male weightlifters was 71.88%, injury rate 2.48/1000 hours of training, and 1.25 injuries per weightlifter over a year. The most often injured anatomical locations were the knee - 20%, shoulder – 17.5%, and lumbar spine – 17.5%. The leading types of severe injuries were strain with 27.5% and contusion with 25%. Most of the injuries were minimal and mild. The missed training time was mostly <1 day and <1 week. The most frequent causes of injuries were reported to be fatigue and excessive load. Detecting and dealing with the causes of injuries in sport will improve sports efficiency and will optimize competitive performance.

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.37, No.1 (2023), 25-30
DOI: 10.7546/SB.04.01.2023

Keywords: injury incidence; injury location; injury rate; Olympic weightlifting; type of injuries

Date published: 2023-02-02