Influence of Ankle Injury on Subsequent Ankle, Knee, and Shoulder Injuries in Competitive Badminton Players Younger Than 13 Years

Background: In recent years, there has been a trend in badminton toward more specialized training at an earlier age. Accompanying this trend is the increased frequency of injuries in young players. Ankle injury is the most common injury in pediatric sports; however, its influence on subsequent injuries is rarely considered. Purposes: To evaluate the incidence of ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries in youth badminton and to investigate the influence of ankle injuries on subsequent ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A custom-designed questionnaire was used to survey Japanese players 7 to 12 years of age who attended national elementary school–level badminton tournaments between May and September 2019. Information including the players’ characteristics, training history, injuries in the previous 12 months, and ankle injury histories were collected. Logistic regression was used for analysis. Results: A total of 478 players were included in the study, with 71 ankle injuries, 74 knee injuries, and 48 shoulder injuries reported. The injury incidence rates (per 1000 hours of play) were 0.23 (95% CI, 0.18-0.29) for the ankle, 0.24 (95% CI, 0.19-0.30) for the knee, and 0.16 (95% CI, 0.11-0.20) for the shoulder; 90.1% of ankle injuries, 25.7% of knee injuries, and 33.3% of shoulder injuries were acute. Previous ankle injury was significantly associated with subsequent ankle injury (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR), 3.05; 95% CI, 1.54-6.07; P < .05), knee injury (adjusted OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.12-3.69; P < .05), and shoulder injury (adjusted OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.26-4.83; P < .05). Conclusion: The study results indicated that previous injury to the ankle significantly increased the occurrence of subsequent ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries. Emphasizing protection and prevention of ankle injuries may help lower future injury risk in young badminton players.