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Lower Extremity Injuries in Gymnasts

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Gymnastics Medicine

Abstract

The mechanics of gymnastics place extreme loads on many regions of a gymnast’s body. This physical stress along with the scoring and psychological pressures of this sport predisposes participants to injury. Specific injury location and type vary by age, sex, level, event, and environment (competition vs. practice). But, overall, there is a higher prevalence of lower limb injuries (54.1–70.2%) compared to upper limb injuries (17.1–25.0%), with the ankle (10–46%) and knee (5.1–26.2%) being the most commonly injured. This chapter describes over 20 of the most common lower limb injuries seen in gymnasts as well as the mechanical and biological factors that contribute to them. Additionally, reinjury is a common problem in gymnastics, so early detection and proper management are imperative. For these reasons, the clinical skills necessary for diagnosis and the best course of treatment are also detailed.

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  1. Lewis School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Nicole B. Katz

  2. Department of Physiatry, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA

    Ellen Casey

  3. Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    Alexia G. Gagliardi

  4. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    Jay C. Albright

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  1. Nicole B. Katz
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  2. Ellen Casey
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  3. Alexia G. Gagliardi
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  4. Jay C. Albright
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ellen Casey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado Sports Medicine Center, Aurora, CO, USA

    Emily Sweeney

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Katz, N.B., Casey, E., Gagliardi, A.G., Albright, J.C. (2020). Lower Extremity Injuries in Gymnasts. In: Sweeney, E. (eds) Gymnastics Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26288-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26288-4_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26287-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26288-4

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