Objective: Wrist wrestling is a sport in which two individuals position themselves on a table or a bar facing each other, with their elbows resting on the table, aiming to touch their opponent’s hand to the table surface. Among adults participating in this sport, humerus shaft fractures are the most commonly observed injuries. In this study, our goal was to perform a systemic video analysis of humerus fractures occurring during wrist wrestling and to examine the mechanisms of these injuries. We assumed that identifying the positions commonly associated with injuries could be useful for injury prevention.
Methods: On May 1, 2023, a search was conducted on YouTube using the terms “arm wrestling fracture,” “arm wrestling humerus,” and “arm wrestling humerus fracture.” Inclusion criteria were videos clearly showing humerus fractures and allowing clear evaluation of athletes. Videos suspected of having humerus fractures, repeated videos, videos with unclear athlete evaluation, and videos not related to wrist wrestling were excluded. Authors examined body tilt nad rotation, coronal shoulder position, sagittal shoulder position, shoulder rotation, sagittal elbow position, coronal elbow position, forearm rotation and sagittal wrist position.
Results: All 31 athletes included in the study were male. When examined for intra- and inter-observer agreement, it was observed to be nearly excellent (k=0.959, p<0.001; k=0.946, p<0.001). Out of the wrist wrestling matches, 19 (61.3%) were conducted with the athletes standing, while 12 (38.7%) were performed with them in a seated position.
Conclusion: Humerus fractures occurring during wrist wrestling do not appear to be significantly influenced by the athlete’s shoulder, elbow, and wrist positions or whether the athlete is standing or sitting. Body position and changes in the center of mass during the competition might be contributing factors to humerus fractures.