Judo is a dynamic combat sport demanding high levels of balance, agility, postural control, and kinesthetic awareness. The vestibular system plays a vital role in maintaining balance and spatial orientation, integrating sensory inputs essential for judo performance....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists and vestibular specialists assessing combat-sport athletes should consider subclinical vestibular dysfunction even in the absence of reported symptoms; targeted screening may be warranted in this population.
This study expands understanding of sport-related vestibular risk beyond obvious concussion, suggesting that high-impact disciplines like judo may cause measurable but silent balance-system changes.
- 01Judo athletes showed evidence of subclinical vestibular dysfunction despite absence of overt balance complaints.
- 02The physical demands and repeated impacts of judo may cumulatively affect the vestibular system.
- 03Standard vestibular testing detected abnormalities in an apparently healthy athletic population.
- 04Findings suggest a need for vestibular screening protocols in high-impact combat sports.
- 05Results may have implications for return-to-sport and concussion management guidelines.
Judo athletes exhibit subclinical vestibular dysfunction compared to non-athlete controls or normative data.
studypartially supportedPhysical demands and impacts of judo are associated with measurable vestibular system changes.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42763614
- DOI
- 10.3766/jaaa.250118.
- Journal
- Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Competitive judo athletes
- Intervention
- Vestibular function assessment battery
Primary outcomes
Presence and degree of subclinical vestibular dysfunction; Association between judo participation and vestibular test abnormalities