Losing weight quickly in order to meet a particular wrestling match weight objective increases the risk of a wrestling injury, according to a new study.
The study, “Association of in-competition injury risk and the degree of rapid weight cutting prior to competition in division I collegiate wrestlers,” was published online in The British Journal Of Sports Medicine on October 19, 2022.
The University of Wisconsin research team wrote that while weight cutting is thought to give wrestlers a competitive advantage, dehydration which affects both mental and physical function contribute to higher risks of injury.
The researchers designed their study to measure the extent to which weight cutting is associated with subsequent wrestling injury risk. They pulled data on a cohort of collegiate wrestlers over seven competitive seasons and documented changes in weight, body fat, and lean mass. All measurements were taken in preseason, at midseason and before competition.
Forty-six of the 67 division 1 collegiate wrestlers experienced 53 unique injuries while in-competition. The researchers found no difference in absolute weight change, percent weight change, percent body fat change, or percent lean mass change between injured and non-injured wrestlers from the preseason to midseason measurements.
From midseason to competition weight change in body weight was -7.0%±3.2% (-5.3 kg±2.6) in injured athletes compared with -5.7%±3.3% (-4.3 kg±2.5) in non-injured athletes.
For every kilogram of body weight lost, wrestlers had a 14% increased hazard of injury (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.25, p = 0.004).
In addition, wrestlers had an 11% increased hazard of injury (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.19, p = 0.005) for every 1% of body weight lost.
Overall, rapid weight cutting was associated with a higher risk of in-competition injuries in division 1 collegiate wrestlers, the researchers found.
Study authors include Erin Hammer, Jennifer L. Sanfilippo, Gary Johnson and Scott Hetzel, all of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin.
