P0195 - Young Male Gymnastics Injuries

Background/Purpose
Young male gymnasts are a frequently injured but rarely studied group. Our study aimed to provide a description of injury patterns among modern, club level, male gymnasts.

Methods
This was a retrospective chart review of 163 gymnastics injuries from 84 male subjects ages 4-22 years. Subjects were seen between February 2010 and March 2019 in a pediatric sports medicine clinic. Gymnast demographics, injury locations, injury types, and gymnastics apparatus were collected as available. Statistical analysis was performed including binomial logistic regressions.

Results
Our cohort had a mean age of 12.5 +/- 3.0 years, gymnastics participation for 8.1 +/- 2.9 years, and gymnastics level of 7.4 +/- 1.7. The majority of subjects (72.3%) specialized in gymnastics and participated in no other sports. Overuse injuries (59.5%) were more common than acute extremity injuries (40.5%). The most common injury locations were lower (42.3%), followed by upper extremity (32.5%), spine/trunk (19.6%), and head/neck (5.5%). The leading injury types were strains (16.6%) and apophysitis (12.9%). For those with recorded injury apparatus (n = 40), the most common apparatus for injury was floor (25%) followed by vault (20%). Binomial logistic regressions revealed that younger age (OR = 4.05, p = .012) and higher gymnastics level (OR = 5.19, p = .031) were predictors of lower extremity injuries.

Conclusions
Our data show that injuries among club level male gymnasts are most frequently located in the lower extremities. This is contrary to previous studies of primarily elite male gymnasts suggesting that injuries are more common in upper extremities. Additionally, overuse injuries were more prevalent in our cohort, and the most frequent injury types were strains and apophysitis. Floor is a common apparatus for injury. This is the largest study of club level, male gymnast injury patterns in the past 15 years. Our study provides an updated description of injuries among young male gymnasts, reflecting the changes in rules and equipment over this time period.