Wrestling is an ancient traditional sport first mentioned in the history of Sumer
civilization approximately 5000 years ago (United World Wrestling History of Wrestling,
2021; Poliakoff, Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present, 1996).
As one of the oldest Olympic sports in Hellenic history, it was also included in the
Ancient Olympic program (Halloran, Orthop Nurs, 27:189–192, 2008). Wrestling was also
among the first sports of the Modern Olympic Games, and it still holds its worldwide
popularity (Guttmann, The Olympics: a history of the modern games, 2002). However,
the sport’s arduous nature results in high injury rates. Due to the many different
situations encountered in any individual match, the exact mechanism of injury is not
always easily identified (Myers, West J Emerg Med, 11:442–449, 2010). In addition
to musculoskeletal problems, other medical conditions and diseases may impact the
ability of the wrestler to safely participate (Hewett, Med Sport Sci. 48:152–178,
2005; Maffulli, Br Med Bull. 97:47–80, 2011).
