An epidemiological study of martial arts injuries in patients presenting to US emergency rooms

•Martial arts injuries are a significant source of musculoskeletal injuries among patients presenting to US emergency rooms.•Lower extremities were affected more frequently than upper extremities (n = 3566, 42.5 % versus n = 3026, 36.0 %), with the knee being the single most common location of injury (n = 811, 9.7 %).•The most common types of injuries were strains/sprains (n = 2664, 31.7 %), fractures (n = 1575, 18.8 %), and contusions/abrasions (n = 1698, 20.2 %).•Males more commonly sustained fractures (19.7 % versus 17.4 %, p = 0.03) and dislocations (3.5 % versus 2.4 %, p = 0.01) when compared to females. Ankle injuries were more common in females than males (10.4 % versus 6.0 %, p