Injury screening for young competitive female gymnasts: A 2-year follow-up

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.