Comparing the upper extremity injuries of male and female elite athletes in combat and combat sports

This thesis provides a comprehensive examination of upper extremity injuries among elite male and female athletes engaged in combat and martial arts. The primary objective of the research is to evaluate the impact of gender differences and sports disciplines on the types and frequencies of injuries. To achieve this aim, the injury profiles of athletes were analyzed using a descriptive survey model, and how these profiles vary by gender and sports discipline was thoroughly examined. The study involved 155 elite athletes selected through criterion sampling, and their demographic characteristics, sports backgrounds, and injury histories were meticulously analyzed. The research data were collected using the QuickDASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) questionnaire, and statistical analyses were conducted on the gathered data. The findings of the study reveal that gender does not have a significant impact on upper extremity injuries. However, factors such as being a competitive or national level athlete were found to significantly influence the severity of injuries. Specifically, competitive athletes were observed to experience more frequent and severe injuries compared to non-competitive athletes, indicating that high-performance competitions increase the risk of injuries. When examining differences across sports disciplines, it was found that each sport possesses its unique injury profile. For instance, sports like boxing and kickboxing pose a higher risk for hand and wrist injuries, while sports such as judo and wrestling carry a higher risk for shoulder and knee injuries. These findings suggest the need for sport-specific injury prevention strategies. In conclusion, this research emphasizes the importance of developing individualized injury prevention strategies to reduce the risk of injuries in combat and martial arts and to protect athletes' health. Careful planning of training and competition processes is essential for athletes to maintain a healthy sports career. This thesis viii contributes significantly to the prevention of injuries and the protection of athlete health in combat and martial arts. Keywords: Branch Differences, Combat Sports, Gender Differences, Injury Prevention, Upper Extremity Injuries