Injury Pathology in Young Gymnasts: A Retrospective Analysis

 
Gymnastics has a history of high injury incidence rates. However, little is known about the injury pathology in young gymnasts. The purpose of this study was to fill gaps in the literature by providing insight into the injury pathology in gymnasts aged 6 to 17 years. This study was ret-rospective in design, where injury data werecollected using a Qualtrics questionnaire and distrib-uted via social media. The findings revealed thatthe most common injury site was the lower limb (60.5%), in particular,the ankle/foot (49%) and knee (27%). Overuse injuries and sprains were most prevalent  among  the  lower  limb  (25%and18.4%,respectively),  and  gymnasts  seemedto  have  a tendency  to  train  through  injury  with  modifications  to  training.  In  conclusion,  lower  limb  joint sprain and overuse injuries accountedfor the majority of injuries in youth gymnasts. These injuries were more frequently reported in girls in the years associated with peak height velocity and beyond.