The SportThe Sport

Gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform short routines show-casing great physical strength, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness. Ar-tistic gymnastics, the most common form of the sport, is separated into two divisions based on sex. Women’s gymnastics emphasizes balance and agility and consists of four events: uneven parallel bars, floor exer-cise, vault, and balance beam. Men’s gymnastics emphasizes strength and consists of six events: parallel bars, pommel horse, vault, floor exer-cise, horizontal (high) bar, and rings. Gymnastics is a team sport although each gymnast performs individu-ally. While more than four gymnasts may compete in each event, the team score is tallied by adding together the marks- on a scale of 1 to 10- of the team’s four highest scoring athletes in each event. A young female gymnast starts at level 1 and works her way up to level 10 before becoming elite. In contrast, a young male gymnast starts at level 7 and works his way to level 1 before becoming elite. Once elite, a gymnast can qualify to participate in competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships.

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Content Written by Zoe Lawrence

A child as young as 2 can be-gin to learn basic gymnastics move-ments and flexibility skills as long as s/he is in a highly supervised gym with trained professionals. Many gyms are equipped with miniature beams and bars to allow preschoolers (ages 4 and 5) to be-gin to learn to use the equipment safely. Until a child is big enough to be able to support him or herself on the regular equipment, s/he is not

prepared to use it. Any person older than 2 who is serious about wanting to learn the sport and is prepared to be safe and calm in the gym should be given the chance to learn gym-nastics in a supervised and safe environment. Since most gym-nasts peak in their mid-teens and retire before the age of 22, gym-nastics is a sport in which children excel.

Special Points of Interest

• Gymnastics Over-

view

• Age Appropriate Sport

• Common Injuries

• Nutritional Issues

• Proper Equipment

• Injury Exclusive:

Gymnast’s wrist

How Young Is Too Young? How Young Is Too Young?

The most common injury in both male and female gymnastics is a sprained ankle. A sprained ankle is an injury to the ligaments and soft tissues around the ankle. There are two kinds of ankle sprains: inversion, when the foot rolls inward, and eversion, when the foot rolls outward. Because the inner ankle is more stable than the outer ankle, the foot is more likely to turn inward. It is this turning of the foot that stretches the ligaments and soft tissues around the ankle and results in a sprain.

Ankle InjuriesAnkle Injuries

Grade I Grade II Grade III

Ligament Stretched Partially torn Completely torn

Loss of func-tional ability

Minimal Some Great

Pain Minimal Moderate Severe

Swelling Minimal Moderate Severe

Difficulty bearing weight

No Usually Almost Always

A Grade I ankle sprain, the least serious, is a minor injury that usually heals in under ten days. Nonetheless, it requires attention and treatment like any injury. A Grade II is more serious than and requires more attention than a grade I sprain. Grade II sprains usually heal in under a month. The worst ankle sprains are called Grade III sprains and can take several months to heal. Symptoms: • Pain over either of the two bony parts of the ankle. The pain is worse when the ankle is

moved or forced to bear weight. • Difficulty moving the affected area. • Swelling around the ankle joint. This swelling can be accompanied by bruising • Tenderness. Treatment: RICE Rest – Rest the ankle. Do not use it (i.e. refrain from walking and weight bearing) Ice – Ice the injured area keeping the ice on for no more than 20 minutes at a time Compression – Wrap the ankle to prevent swelling and movement. Elevation – Keep the ankle at rest in a position above the heart to prevent extra blood flow which causes swelling and bruising. A doctor may recommend wearing a cast, brace, or tape/bandage depending on the seri-ousness of the injury. After the injury has healed, it is important to exercise and strengthen the ankle to prevent re-injury. There are many ways to strengthen the liga-ments in an ankle using strengthening devices such as therabands and balance disks.

Eating Disorders Related to GymnasticsEating Disorders Related to Gymnastics Because of the pressure to be thin, gymnasts may experience disordered eating and eating disorders. If a gymnast has lost too much weight, seems to be overly conscious of his/her weight, has not been eating enough, and/or has less energy than usual resulting in head-aches and dizziness, s/he may be suffering from disordered eating. Healthy eating is im-perative for a gymnast as a too thin frame is at a higher risk for many types of injuries, so if you or anyone you know does not appear to be eating in a healthy manner, seek help immediately.

Prior to embarking in any gymnastics activity Make sure the gymnast is healthy • Every gymnast should wear the appropriate pro-

tective gear. Protective gear includes: 1. Wrist Guards 2. Ankle Braces 3. Hand Grips and Sweat Bands - A gymnast must know to stop participating if s/he is in pain. - First aid should be available at all times during practices and meets. - No one should ever do any gymnastics without a knowledgeable coach and trained spotter in the gym - Equipment should be in good condition and checked periodically - Floors should be padded and mats should be se cured under every apparatus - Always take time to warm up and stretch before doing gymnastics - Keep muscles used in the sport strong through strength exercises. *In gymnastics where flexibility and strength are vital, it is imperative that gymnasts keep their muscles strong and flexible by strengthening and stretching. Stiff, weak muscles can be easily injured in gymnastics. - Be prepared for emergency situations and have a plan to reach medical personnel to treat any serious injuries that may arise.

Injury PreventionInjury Prevention

Overuse InjuriesOveruse Injuries Common Overuse Injuries: 1. Stress fractures (including shin splints): tiny cracks in the surface of a bone usually caused when repetitive overloading leads overworked muscles to put extra stress on bones Symptoms: Pain that worsens over time and with weight bearing. Mild swelling 2. Tendonitis: inflammation of a tendon caused by repetitive stretching of a tendon Symptoms: Pain and tenderness (along a tendon and the muscles it attaches to) that worsens with movement and/or at night The skin covering the tendon may be red and warm 3. Epiphysitis or apophysitis: growth plate overload injury such as Osgood-Schlatter disease (injured growth plate in the knee)Symptoms Pain near a growth plate (most common areas include heel, wrist and knee) that increases when pressure is applied Injured area may appear swollen (especially in Osgood Schlatter disease) Treatment: In many cases, gymnasts with overuse injuries can continue participating in practice and meets as long as they lessen the intensity of practice and avoid skills that cause sharp pain. Depending on the sever-ity and the type of injury treatment may include anything from simply avoiding painful skills until the injury is healed to wearing braces to undergoing surgery. Although many overuse injuries do not require active treat-ment, some do and leaving them untreated could contribute to a worsening condition.

Wrist Guards

Ankle Braces

Hand Grips and Sweat Bands

Injury Exclusive: Injury Exclusive: Gymnast WristGymnast Wrist “Gymnast’s wrist” is a unique type of stress frac-ture characterized by an irregular widening of the distal radius physis, the growth plate on the side of the radius bone that is farthest away from the center of the body. This type of injury is caused by repetitive axial loading that can cause growth issues. Symptoms include: • Wrist pain that increases over time and is

worse immediately after vaulting and tum-bling.

• Swelling of the distal radius.

The arrow in the image on the right points to the site of the pain associ-ated with gymnast’s wrist.

If a gymnast less than 14 years old is hav-ing wrist pain s/he should see a doctor to check for gymnast’s wrist. On the left is an X-ray displaying the in-jury. The arrow is pointing to a large gap near the end of the radius (the larger bone), this gap, not present in an unin-jured wrist, is the source of the injury.