Epidemiology of injury in Australian female gymnasts

Abstract

A nationwide sample of 162 Australian elite and nonelite competitive female gymnasts were administered a questionnaire to collect personal and training data as well as information about the number, location, and type of injuries sustained in the previous 12 months. The gymnasts reported 321 injuries, a rate of 1.98 per gymnast (2.36 for the elite and 1.83 for the nonelite subjects). Of the total sample 78.4% reported sustaining one or more injuries (89.4% of the elite gymnasts and 73.9% of the nonelite gymnasts). Injuries to the ankle and foot (31.7%) were the most prevalent, followed by injuries to the lower back (15.0%). Sprains (29.6%) were the most commonly reported type of injury, followed by strains (20.6%) and growth plate injuries (11.5%). In terms of the amount of time lost due to injury, the elite gymnasts spent 20.2% of the year's training time at less than full capacity, compared with 13.9% for the nonelite gymnasts. These findings have implications for performance potential and training methods.