Purpose: Wrestling, due to its contact and oppressive training nature, is subject to massive injuries. The present study aimed to compare musculoskeletal injuries between professional Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers.
Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The statistical population consists of male Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers (N=86; age: 15-20 years) in Guilan Province, Iran. The study participants had a history of at least two continual years of wrestling training of 3 weekly sessions and participating in national and international competitions. The modified Fuller and Hawkins questionnaire was applied for recording recent two-year injuries. Using the descriptive statistics, the retrieved data were summarized and classified in tables. Besides, the difference between the study variables was determined by the Chi-squared test in SPSS.
Results: A statistically significant difference was observed in neck injuries between the investigated Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers (P=0.01). Additionally, a significant difference was observed in the frequency of training per week (P=0.01), techniques (P=0.001), and injury mechanisms (P=0.02) between the two study groups.
Conclusion: The present study findings revealed a significant difference in neck injury between Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers. Furthermore, a significant difference was detected in the frequency of training, techniques, mechanism of injury, and the injury rate between the study groups. Designing appropriate training sessions and plans and teaching the principles of warm-up and procedures for preventing additional damage in wrestlers are suggested to coaches