A Comprehensive Analysis of Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation in Chinese Collegiate Taekwondo Athletes YANG ZIMENG Adviser: Prof. Jung Hong-Yong Department of Physical Education Graduate School of Chosun University This study aimed to system...
A Comprehensive Analysis of Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation in Chinese Collegiate Taekwondo Athletes YANG ZIMENG Adviser: Prof. Jung Hong-Yong Department of Physical Education Graduate School of Chosun University This study aimed to systematically analyze the current status of sports injuries among Chinese university taekwondo athletes, as well as the practical conditions o f rehabilitation and prevention, in order to provide foundational data for the develo pment of effective injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies. As core institutions for talent cultivation with access to high-quality educational resources, universities are well positioned to contribute to the systematic developm ent of taekwondo injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies and to the cultivat ion of elite athletes. However, considering the current state of theoretical research and teaching practice, systematic and practically effective studies on injury preven tion and rehabilitation among Chinese university taekwondo athletes remain insuffi cient. Accordingly, this study focused on injury prevention and rehabilitation strate gies for Chinese university taekwondo athletes and proposed the following specific research objectives. First, through a systematic epidemiological survey and data analysis, this study sought to identify the injury sites, types, and patterns of sports injuries among Ch inese university taekwondo athletes, and to further analyze the mechanisms of inju ry occurrence, thereby providing basic data for the formulation of prevention and rehabilitation strategies. Second, based on the current status of sports injuries among Chinese university taekwondo athletes, this study aimed to propose a scientific and effective preventio n system reflecting individual characteristics, so as to provide useful data and pra ctical evidence for scientific training and injury prevention. Third, this study aimed to establish systematic rehabilitation strategies adapted to the types and severity of sports injuries among Chinese university taekwondo athletes, while improving the level of injury-risk awareness among coaches and at hletes. Ultimately, by reducing injury incidence and improving athletes’ health and competitive performance, the study seeks to make a practical contribution to the s ustainable development of taekwondo. An online questionnaire survey was conducted from August to October 2025. Th e study participants consisted of 600 taekwondo athletes from Chinese sports univ ersities, such as Beijing Sport University, Shanghai University of Sport, Wuhan S ports University, Chengdu Sport University, Shandong Sport University, and Tianj in University of Sport, among others. After excluding questionnaires from athletes without injury experience or with insufficient data reliability, a total of 503 valid s amples were included in the final analysis. Convenience sampling and a self-administered questionnaire were employed, and the analysis focused on injury characteristics, injury sites and types, causes of inj ury, and rehabilitation methods. The main conclusions of this study are as follows. First, sports injuries among Chinese university taekwondo athletes occurred pri marily during training. Seasonal differences were not significant overall, although the incidence was relatively higher in autumn. The main injury sites were the pel vis/hip region and the ankle joint, and the most common injury types were sprains and fractures. The major causes of injury included overtraining, chronic fatigue, a nd insufficient physical fitness. Environmental factors were mainly related to cloth ing and protective equipment, whereas coach-related factors were primarily associ ated with excessive training loads. With regard to post-injury rehabilitation, most athletes chose to receive treatme nt in hospitals, and the most common treatment frequency was one to two times per week. Most athletes returned to training and competition within four weeks; h owever, because many returned before achieving full recovery, the rate of re-injur y was relatively high. In addition, athletes generally showed a positive perception of school-based rehabilitation resources and demonstrated a certain level of injury -prevention awareness and behavior. Second, an analysis of injury characteristics by gender and athlete category indi cated that there were no statistically significant differences in age, years of trainin g, athlete category, or average daily training time. Likewise, no significant differen ces were found among different athlete categories in terms of injury occurrence, in jury site, injury type, time and season of occurrence, or causes of injury. Third, in the analysis of factors affecting rehabilitation outcomes after sports inj uries, it was found that as average daily training time increased, delays in return to competition and the occurrence of re-injury showed a decreasing trend. This su ggests that athletes’ physical adaptability may have a greater influence on rehabili tation outcomes than injury type itself. In addition, the rate of re-injury was signif icantly lower among athletes who received professional treatment, indicating the i mportance of strengthening the allocation of professional rehabilitation resources a nd related educational efforts. Head and neck injuries were identified as important risk factors affecting declines in athletic performance, highlighting the need to stre ngthen defensive technique training and to establish multidimensional return-to-pl ay assessment criteria. At the same time, athletes’ perceptions of “full recovery” c ould not be explained solely by physiological indicators, suggesting that psycholog ical intervention should be incorporated into the rehabilitation process and that an integrated biopsychological rehabilitation model should be implemented. Fourth, a cross-analysis of rehabilitation characteristics according to different in jury sites showed that most athletes received treatment in hospitals, and that tradi tional Chinese medicine was used at a relatively high rate. Regardless of injury sit e, most athletes returned to training and competition within four weeks. Moreover, analysis of the effects of different injury types on athletic performance indicated t hat most athletes believed sports injuries had negative effects on competitive perfo rmance, with sprains, fractures, burns, and abrasions showing relatively greater i mpacts in descending order. Based on these findings, the following practical recommendations are proposed. First, differentiated injury-prevention strategies should be developed according to the age and competitive level of Chinese university taekwondo athletes. Second, di fferentiated injury-prevention strategies should also be established according to ge nder and training experience. Third, during the training process, athletes’ competiti ve level and event-specific characteristics should be fully considered in order to fo rmulate individualized training plans. Fourth, it is necessary to establish injury-res ponse guidelines tailored to different training phases. In conclusion, the prevention and rehabilitation of sports injuries among Chinese university taekwondo athletes should be addressed through a multidisciplinary inte grated approach, including training-load management, the development of professi onal medical and rehabilitation systems, the optimization of protective equipment, a nd psychological support. Future research should adopt longitudinal research desig ns and incorporate variables such as psychological readiness in order to establish a more systematic and comprehensive analytical framework. Keywords: Taekwondo; Chinese Collegiate Taekwondo Athletes; Sports Injuries; Rehabilitation