Investigating the Biomechanical Parameters of Head Injury in the Simulated Roundhouse Kick Impact in Taekwondo

One of the methods to prevent head injuries is to diagnose and identify the mechanism of injury in the actual condition the head is blown. The objective of the present study was to analyze the biomechanical parameters of head injury in taekwondo in the simulated roundhouse kick impact.

A total of 15 male elite taekwondo athletes with a mean age of 27±1.04 years participated in the current study. To measure the mechanism of head injury, researcher used a device composed of artificial neck and head, equipped with force and acceleration sensors and a mechanical arm for impact to head, as well as a researcher-made package of computer and recorder to estimate, monitor, and save the data. The data were fed into MATLAB program. Data analysis was carried out using one-sample t-test with p. value set at 0.05.

The results showed that the linear acceleration obtained from the roundhouse kick was lower than that of the head injury threshold in investigating the mechanisms of head injury in taekwondo, while the rotational acceleration and the impact force produced were higher than those of the head injury threshold.

According to the results, the factor of head injury is different in each sport. Thus, it is very important to identify the dynamic parameters related to head injury and its mechanism of occurrence clinically. The present study showed clearly that impact force and rotational acceleration are the main causes of head injury in taekwondo. So, with the diagnosis of the main injury factor and its parameters, the severity of injury and its associated risk factors were predicted and related strategies were implemented for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.