03/27/2020
4 Gymnastics Injuries That Should Be Evaluated by an Orthopedist
Gymnastics is a wonderful sport that many children and their families enjoy. Like any sport, however, gymnastics also comes with the risk of injury. The acrobatics, whether on the mat, the high beam, or the bar, place a lot of stress on the joints and developing bones.
For that reason, it's important to ensure that even seemingly minor gymnastics injuries are examined by an orthopedist, preventing long-term and potentially chronic injury in the future.
Why Orthopedists Treat So Many Gymnastics Injuries
It may seem astounding but injury rates for gymnastics rival those of a contact sports like football. Gymnastics is a skill-intensive sport that many children are introduced to at a young age, when their bodies and motor skills are still developing.
Unlike sports like basketball or soccer, however, where the movements are more varied, a gymnast will usually perform repetitive actions over and over. Combined with an intense training schedule, as well as performing at high speeds and at heights, joints are placed under a lot of strain. This leads to a greater likelihood of accident and injury.
Additionally, gymnasts don't have an established "off-season." Because they train all year in the same sport, they become more prone to injury. Research has shown that all athletes should crosstrain or play different sports throughout the year.
Female gymnasts, in particular, are at risk of a health problem called the female athlete triad. This is a combination of three conditions, including eating disorders, amenorrhea (absent menstrual periods), and osteoporosis.
The female athlete triad usually begins when an athlete doesn't get enough nutrition, either deliberately or without knowing. This may be due to concerns over performance or aesthetic appearance or simply overtraining. This mismatch between calories taken in and calories burned can lead to amenorrhea and osteoporosis.
But beyond the female athlete triad there are other injuries to be aware of when your children are involved in gymnastics.
Common Gymnastics Injuries
The following are four of the most common injuries that gymnasts suffer from, as well how they occur:
Wrist Injuries
A common wrist injury seen in gymnastics is a stress fracture called "gymnast wrist". Stress fractures are tiny cracks in the bone. In wrist bones, these are often sustained as a result of repetitive tumbling. Gymnasts usually feel the pain more and more frequently, even without the presence of visible swelling of the wrist.
Elbow Injuries
Repetitive tumbling can also affect the elbow causing a portion of the bone to die and damaging the overlying cartilage. This is what's known as an osteochondral defect and often needs either rest or surgery to treat.
Back Injuries
Stress fractures in the lumbar spine can be caused by constant hyperextension of the lower back with common movements like back bends. Like wrist fractures, the pain is increasingly worse and it's important to have it examined as soon as possible. With enough rest and sometimes bracing, gymnasts can overcome this injury and get back to their activities sooner rather than later.
Foot and Ankle Injuries
Sprained ankles, if left untreated, can lead to more frequent injuries as the original injury never fully heals. The growth plate of the calcaneous , a portion of cartilage in a child's heel that eventually becomes bone, can be especially sensitive to repetitive activity. A painful but temporary condition called Sever's Disease may develop if this cartilage is continuously faced with impact.
Seeing an Orthopedist for Gymnastics Injuries
The most important thing you can do if your child sustains an injury while participating in gymnastics is to speak with an orthopedist and have the injury examined.
While it can seem relatively harmless to shrug off a minor injury like a sprained ankle, a short check up can clear the air and produce the best outcome so that your child can get back to competition as soon as possible.
If you have additional questions about gymnastics injuries, contact Tuckahoe Orthopaedics for more information or to schedule an appointment.
