Ankle sprains and knee injuries, such as meniscus and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears, are the most common gymnastics injuries overall, however, the research literature is still very limited in our field.
In addition, since ankle sprains and knee injuries are common in many sports, we wanted to highlight a few injuries that are more unique to gymnastics. These include Gymnast’s wrist, spondylolysis, osteochondritis dissecans, and Sever’s Disease.
Gymnast’s Wrist (Distal Radial Epiphysitis) is an overuse injury to the growth plate of the distal radius due to repetitive weight-bearing on the hands.
Spondylolysis is a stress fracture in the pars interarticularis, a specific part of the spine.
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is another overuse injury that occurs in the elbow, knee, or ankle. It is due to repetitive pounding on a growing bone. This affects the blood supply of the bone and cartilage.
Sever’s Disease (Calcaneal Apophysitis) is an overuse injury of the calcaneus, or heel bone at the growth plate where the Achilles tendon attaches.
All of these injuries, plus many more, will be outlined in more detail at future presentations.