Subacute subdural hematoma in a Karate instructor after noncontact head trauma.

摘要

Subdural hematomas (SDH) are caused most commonly by head trauma from motor vehicle accidents, assaults, and falls (1). SDH form between the dura and the arachnoid membranes. Direct head trauma is the most frequent cause of SDH in sports, although a few cases of subacute SDH and chronic SDH without known direct head trauma have been reported from roller coaster rides and capoeira (Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance) (12,18,20). Karate is a sport where head trauma can occur, although a retrospective study of karate injuries found that reported head injuries were predominately facial hematomas, and no cases of SDH were noted (4). This study also found that 83% of the injuries sustained during training occurred with free-style sparring activities, and high-level karate athletes (brown and black belts) had more injuries than lower-level karate athletes. This case report describes the first reported case of a noncontact, subacute SDH in a high-level karate instructor.