Gymnastics
While we tend to focus on elite and Olympic gymnasts, those high level athletes in actuality, make up a very small percentage of the total number of participants. Over 90,000 athletes are competitive gymnasts in the USA; of that number, fewer than 500 compete on the elite level. 76% of gymnasts in the USA are female and 80% are younger than 18 years of age, with most between the ages of 9 and 14.
Competitive gymnastics begin at Level Four and continues to Level 10; after that is the Elite level.
In addition to artistic gymnastics (what we often think of when we think of gymnastics), rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling are also gymnastic activities.
Rhythmic gymnastics involves the use of various apparatus (e.g., rope, hoop, ball, ribbon) and are performed to music.
Trampoline involves acrobatics (e.g., double, triple and twisting somersaults) performed on a trampoline that can propel athletes up to 30 feet in the air!
Tumbling involves acrobatics (e.g., flips, twisting somersaults) performed on an elevated spring runway
Physiology of gymnastics
Gymnastics is primarily an anaerobic sport, meaning it does not require the “normal” type of endurance long distance runners or cyclists rely on (though gymnasts are certainly breathing hard after the floor exercise!). Rather, it is a combination of controlled power and explosiveness, balance on both firm and uneven surfaces, acrobatic body control and graceful artistry.
Vault
Requires considerable speed and power on the runway and springboard, upper body strength while on the table, body control during the movements that follow and sufficient strength and good technique to stick the landing when dismounting.
Floor Exercise
Requires considerable body control and upper body strength while tumbling, grace and artistry during choreographed maneuvers, power and speed during tumbling runs and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting. While it does not require the typical aerobic endurance of some sports, it does require enough stamina (e.g., muscle and explosive endurance) to perform for the required 90 seconds.
Uneven and High Bars
Requires considerable body control and upper body strength while on the bars and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting.
Beam
Requires considerable body control and balance on the beam and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting.
Pommel Horse
One of the most difficult events for the men, this event requires considerable body control and upper body strength on the beam (all while not pausing at all!) and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting.
Still Rings
Requires considerable body control, upper body strength and good muscular endurance to maintain positions and minimize ring shaking and movement while on the rings and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting.
Parallel bars
Requires considerable body control, hand-eye coordination, balance and upper body strength while on the bars and sufficient strength and good landing technique when dismounting.
Common gymnastics injuries
As exciting and beautiful as it is to watch (and indeed perform), most studies agree that gymnastics has a relatively high risk of injury, a risk that amplifies as the level of competition (and athlete ability) increases. More injuries occur during the floor exercise and tumbling than with the vault. Also quite interestingly, more than 70% of all gymnasts train while injured!
Below are common injuries associated with gymnastics
Back pain and injuries are quite common due to the impactful nature of the required movements and the low back hyper extension (backwards bending) motion required. This hyperextension can lead to small stress fractures in the spine (spondylolysis).
A study done in the 1990′s indicated that approximately 80% of all gymnasts will experience wrist pain at some point in their careers. One author has gone so far as to say, “wrist pain is so common in this population that it is almost considered the norm.” So why does the wrist become injured? The most likely reason is the weight bearing required by the arms. While wrist braces that prevent the wrist from bending too far backward are not uncommon, there is so far little research to support their use.
Elbow and shoulder injuries are both relatively common as well. Elbows tend to become injured from falls and overuse. Like the wrist, overuse injuries of the elbow are primarily due to the upper extremity (arm) weight bearing nature of gymnastics. Gymnasts with shoulder injuries tend to have “unstable” type injuries, meaning the ball of the ball and socket joint moves out of the socket. This instability can be due to poor shoulder and shoulder blade strength.
Knee injuries are both due to overuse (e.g., patellar tendinitis, Osgood-Schlatter disease) and acute (e.g., ACL or MCL sprains/tears). Overuse injuries of the knee, like most overuse injuries, occur with improper technique, poor fitness or overtraining. Acute knee injuries, on the other hand, often occur to gymnasts during landing and twisting elements. As an example, when landing a given skill, if the gymnast is not high enough when the foot plants and the body continues to twist, the ACL is at risk of tearing.
Foot and ankle injuries are also quite common in gymnastics. Inversion sprains (the typical rolling of the ankle) can occur quite often because of the repeated landing that occurs during all events. Foot injuries occur in gymnastics because this is one of the few sports that does not use shoes. No footwear, bad landings, awkward positioning (e.g., landing on the beam with the arch straddling the beam) all have the potential to lead to foot injuries.
Teams we’ve worked with:
- Premier Gymnastics
- Nebraska Gold Gymnastics
- Omega Gymnastics