GYMNASTICS TEMPLATE Done v2 - Hospital for Special Surgery

Sports Med 4 Kids by Kids Presents:
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Content Written by Zoe Lawrence
Special Points of
Interest
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Gymnastics Overview
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Age Appropriate
Sport
•
Common Injuries
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Nutritional Issues
•
Proper Equipment
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Injury Exclusive:
The Sport
Gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform short routines showcasing great physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness. Artistic gymnastics, the most common form of the sport, is separated into
two divisions based on sex. Women’s gymnastics emphasizes balance
and agility and consists of four events: uneven parallel bars, floor exercise, vault, and balance beam. Men’s gymnastics emphasizes strength
and consists of six events: parallel bars, pommel horse, vault, floor exercise, horizontal (high) bar, and rings.
Gymnastics is a team sport although each gymnast performs individually. While more than four gymnasts may compete in each event, the
team score is tallied by adding together the marks- on a scale of 1 to 10of the team’s four highest scoring athletes in each event.
A young female gymnast starts at level 1 and works her way up to level
10 before becoming elite. In contrast, a young male gymnast starts at
level 7 and works his way to level 1 before becoming elite. Once elite, a
gymnast can qualify to participate in competitions such as the Olympics
and World Championships.
Gymnast’s wrist
How Young Is Too Young?
A child as young as 2 can begin to learn basic gymnastics movements and flexibility skills as long
as s/he is in a highly supervised
gym with trained professionals.
Many gyms are equipped with
miniature beams and bars to allow
preschoolers (ages 4 and 5) to begin to learn to use the equipment
safely.
Until a child is big enough to
be able to support him or herself on
the regular equipment, s/he is not
prepared to use it.
Any person older than 2 who is
serious about wanting to learn the
sport and is prepared to be safe
and calm in the gym should be
given the chance to learn gymnastics in a supervised and safe
environment. Since most gymnasts peak in their mid-teens and
retire before the age of 22, gymnastics is a sport in which children
excel.
Ankle Injuries
The most common injury in both male and female gymnastics is a sprained ankle. A
sprained ankle is an injury to the ligaments and soft tissues around the ankle. There are
two kinds of ankle sprains: inversion, when the foot rolls inward, and eversion, when the
foot rolls outward. Because the inner ankle is more stable than the outer ankle, the foot is
more likely to turn inward. It is this turning of the foot that stretches the ligaments and
soft tissues around the ankle and results in a sprain.
Ligament
Grade I
Grade II
Grade III
Stretched
Partially torn
Completely torn
Loss of functional ability
Pain
Minimal
Some
Great
Minimal
Moderate
Severe
Swelling
Minimal
Moderate
Severe
No
Usually
Almost Always
Difficulty bearing
weight
A Grade I ankle sprain, the least serious, is a minor injury that usually heals in under ten
days. Nonetheless, it requires attention and treatment like any injury. A Grade II is more
serious than and requires more attention than a grade I sprain. Grade II sprains usually
heal in under a month. The worst ankle sprains are called Grade III sprains and can take
several months to heal.
Symptoms:
• Pain over either of the two bony parts of the ankle. The pain is worse when the ankle is
moved or forced to bear weight.
• Difficulty moving the affected area.
• Swelling around the ankle joint. This swelling can be accompanied by bruising
• Tenderness.
Treatment: RICE
Rest – Rest the ankle. Do not use it (i.e. refrain from walking and weight bearing)
Ice – Ice the injured area keeping the ice on for no more than 20 minutes at a time
Compression – Wrap the ankle to prevent swelling and movement.
Elevation – Keep the ankle at rest in a position above the heart to prevent extra blood flow
which causes swelling and bruising.
A doctor may recommend wearing a cast, brace, or tape/bandage depending on the seriousness of the injury. After the injury has healed, it is important to exercise and
strengthen the ankle to prevent re-injury. There are many ways to strengthen the ligaments in an ankle using strengthening devices such as therabands and balance disks.
Eating Disorders Related to Gymnastics
Because of the pressure to be thin, gymnasts may experience disordered eating and eating
disorders. If a gymnast has lost too much weight, seems to be overly conscious of his/her
weight, has not been eating enough, and/or has less energy than usual resulting in headaches and dizziness, s/he may be suffering from disordered eating. Healthy eating is imperative for a gymnast as a too thin frame is at a higher risk for many types of injuries, so
if you or anyone you know does not appear to be eating in a healthy manner, seek help
immediately.
Injury Prevention
Prior to embarking in any gymnastics activity
Make sure the gymnast is healthy
• Every gymnast should wear the appropriate protective gear. Protective gear includes:
Wrist Guards
1. Wrist Guards
2. Ankle Braces
3. Hand Grips and Sweat Bands
- A gymnast must know to stop participating if s/he
is in pain.
- First aid should be available at all times during
practices and meets.
- No one should ever do any gymnastics without a
knowledgeable coach and trained spotter in the
gym
- Equipment should be in good condition and
checked periodically
- Floors should be padded and mats should be se
cured under every apparatus
- Always take time to warm up and stretch before
doing gymnastics
- Keep muscles used in the sport strong through
strength exercises.
*In gymnastics where flexibility and strength are
vital, it is imperative that gymnasts keep their
muscles strong and flexible by strengthening and
stretching. Stiff, weak muscles can be easily
injured in gymnastics.
- Be prepared for emergency situations and have a
plan to reach medical personnel to treat any
serious injuries that may arise.
Ankle Braces
Hand Grips and Sweat Bands
Overuse Injuries
Common Overuse Injuries:
1. Stress fractures (including shin splints): tiny cracks in the surface of a bone usually caused when repetitive
overloading leads overworked muscles to put extra stress on bones
Symptoms:
Pain that worsens over time and with weight bearing. Mild swelling
2. Tendonitis: inflammation of a tendon caused by repetitive stretching of a tendon
Symptoms:
Pain and tenderness (along a tendon and the muscles it attaches to) that worsens with movement and/or at
night
The skin covering the tendon may be red and warm
3. Epiphysitis or apophysitis: growth plate overload injury such as Osgood-Schlatter disease (injured growth
plate in the knee)Symptoms
Pain near a growth plate (most common areas include heel, wrist and knee) that increases when pressure is
applied
Injured area may appear swollen (especially in Osgood Schlatter disease)
Treatment: In many cases, gymnasts with overuse injuries can continue participating in practice and meets
as long as they lessen the intensity of practice and avoid skills that cause sharp pain. Depending on the severity and the type of injury treatment may include anything from simply avoiding painful skills until the injury is
healed to wearing braces to undergoing surgery. Although many overuse injuries do not require active treatment, some do and leaving them untreated could contribute to a worsening condition.
Injury Exclusive: Gymnast Wrist
“Gymnast’s wrist” is a unique type of stress fracture characterized by an irregular widening of the
distal radius physis, the growth plate on the side
of the radius bone that is farthest away from the
center of the body. This type of injury is caused
by repetitive axial loading that can cause growth
issues.
Symptoms include:
•
Wrist pain that increases over time and is
worse immediately after vaulting and tumbling.
•
Swelling of the distal radius.
If a gymnast less than 14 years old is having wrist pain s/he should see a doctor to
check for gymnast’s wrist.
On the left is an X-ray displaying the injury. The arrow is pointing to a large gap
near the end of the radius (the larger
bone), this gap, not present in an uninjured wrist, is the source of the injury.
The arrow in the image on the right
points to the site of the pain associated with gymnast’s wrist.