The sharing of radiological images by professional mixed martial arts fighters on social media

BACKGROUND: Mixed martial arts is a sport that has recently enjoyed a significant increase in popularity. This rise in popularity has catapulted many of these “cage fighters” into stardom and many regularly use social media to reach out to their fans. An interesting result of this interaction on social media is that athletes are sharing images of their radiological examinations when they sustain an injury. PURPOSE: To review instances where mixed martial arts fighters shared images of their radiological examinations on social media and in what context they were shared. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An Internet search was performed using the Google search engine. Search terms included “MMA,” “mixed martial arts,” “injury,” “scan,” “X-ray,” “fracture,” and “break.” Articles which discussed injuries to MMA fighters were examined and those in which the fighter themselves shared a radiological image of their injury on social media were identified. RESULTS: During our search, we identified 20 MMA fighters that had shared radiological images of their injuries on social media. There were 15 different types of injury, with a fracture of the mid-shaft of the ulna being the most common. The most popular social media platform was Twitter. The most common imaging modality X-ray (71%). The majority of injuries were sustained during competition (81%) and 35% of these fights resulted in a win for the fighter. CONCLUSION: Professional mixed martial artists are sharing radiological images of their injuries on social media. This may be in an attempt to connect with fans and raise their profile among other fighters.