INTRODUCTION: Young female gymnasts had high prevalence of lower-extremity and lower-back injuries during training. OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of injuries and their potential association with anthropometric measurements, puberty, and training intensity in gymnasts during a period of 24 months. METHODS: A total of 274 competitive female gymnasts (aged 12.1 ± 1.9 years) were clinically evaluated every 6 months for the presence of injuries, as well as anthropometrics, training characteristics, and pubertal status. RESULTS: During the first and third assessments, a high prevalence and incidence rate (IR)/1000 practice hours were found for suspected spondylolysis (IR 1.027 and 1.547, respectively), Achilles tendon injuries (IR = 1.169 and 1.630, respectively), and patellar tendon injuries (IR = 0.822 and 1.753, respectively). Compared to healthy gymnasts, those who experienced ≥2 episodes of tendon injuries and tibial injuries practiced fewer hours/week in the past year (p < .05); those with ≥2 episodes of back injuries and tibial injuries had higher body mass; while those with ≥2 episodes of Achilles tendon injuries had lower body mass (p < .05). Prepubertal gymnasts had a lower prevalence of ≥2 episodes of back injuries, suspected spondylolysis, and hip injuries compared to pre-to-postpubertal and postpubertal gymnasts (p < .001, <.001, .028, respectively); postpubertal gymnasts had a lower prevalence of ≥2 episodes of Achilles and patellar tendon injuries and tibial injuries compared to prepubertal and pre-to-postpubertal gymnasts (p = .034, .010, .028, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence and high IR/1000 hours of practice were found in injured gymnasts mainly at baseline and after 1 year. Compared to healthy gymnasts, those with ≥2 episodes of injuries practiced less the past year year and differed in body mass. Prepubertal gymnasts had a lower prevalence of ≥2 episodes of injuries such as back injuries, compared to pre-to-postpubertal and compared with postpubertal gymnasts. Professional trainers and medical teams should be aware of important data regarding common diagnosis of injuries in female gymnasts.
Steinberg et al. (Thu,) studied this question.