What are the most common injuries that occur to gymnasts?

What are the most common injuries that occur to gymnasts?

Common Gymnastics Injuries

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
• Knee and low back pain.
• Spinal fractures and herniated discs.
• Achilles tendon strains or tears.
• Ankle sprains.
• Shoulder instability.
• Colles’ fracture.
• Burners and stingers.

Do gymnasts have problems with their feet?

Heel pain—cracks or fissures from overly dry skin, growth plate inflammation, overuse are a few of the risks associated with gymnastics. Athletes foot—many hours barefoot in a gym, locker room and shared showers increase the risk of coming in contact with bacteria and fungi that cause common skin infections.

Where in the body does the most gymnastic injuries occur?

In fact, gymnastics has one of the highest rates of injury among women’s sports, with almost 100,000 gymnasts injured each year. The upper body is used as a weight-bearing joint in gymnastics, so injuries to the shoulder, wrist, and elbow are the most common.

How do ankle sprains occur in gymnastics?

The most common injury in sports is a lateral ankle sprain. This injury occurs in gymnastics by rolling the ankle over the outside of the foot. This often occurs when landing from a jump, taking a misstep during a dismount or planting awkwardly during a tumbling routine.

What happens to a gymnast’s body as it ages?

A greater risk of osteoarthritis and chronic pain “Mostly in their wrists, knees, back, and ankles, where the impact of hitting a mat is felt most,” she says. And as the body ages, or undergoes further stresses – like pregnancy, for example – some can face even more stress fractures or more severe chronic pain.

Why do gymnasts get injured so much?

As young gymnasts progress in skill and hours training, their risk of injury goes up since they spend more time under load practicing higher level skills. As they produce more force with their maneuvers, the risk of having an injury increases. Younger athletes are also prone to wrist injuries at the growth plate.

Is plantar fasciitis common in gymnasts?

Plantar fasciitis is especially common in gymnastics because the sport must be done barefoot, without the support of shoes that help distribute and absorb the impact from jumping or running.

What does gymnastics do to your feet?

The active, repetitive nature of the sport often leads to: Ankle sprains – quick turns and flips can often lead to overstretched ligaments, even if you do stick the perfect landing. Stress fractures – the repetitive impact of the heel bone or any other area of the foot to the mat can cause these hairline bone breaks.

What is ankle impingement syndrome?

Ankle impingement is described as ankle pain that occurs during athletic activity, with recurrent, extreme dorsiflexion or plantar flexion with the joint under a load. Ankle impingements can be classified according to what structures become involved both anteriorly and posteriorly.

Why does my foot hurt after gymnastics?

Repetitive movements (especially high impact jumps and landings) can lead to flattening and small tears in the plantar fascia. This repetitive impact can also cause the heel’s protective fatty pad to wear and grow thin, leading to increasing heel pain and sensitivity.

Why are female gymnasts flat?

Dr. Aurelia Nattiv of UCLA says the sport’s intense training and emphasis on low body fat delay puberty. “The mechanism isn’t certain; it may have something to do with inadequate caloric intake given the amount of energy they are expending,” said Nattiv.