Injuries prevalence in elite male artistic gymnasts

Natália Batista Albuquerque Goulart,Jennifer Faraon Waltrick,Annelise Link,Marco Aurélio Vaz,Morgana Lunardi,Leandro Garcias,João Carlos Oliva,Mônica De Oliveira Melo

doi:10.1590/1807-55092016000100079

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the injuries prevalence in men elite artistic gymnasts. Twenty Brazilian senior gymnasts, aged 23.1 ± 6.5 years, 13.9 ± 5.0 years of practice and 36.5 ± 4.7 hours per week training, participated in this study. The athletes answered a morbidity questionnaire, formulated according to studies from the literature, for information on the injuries’ characteristics and circumstances. Information about the injury circumstances (gymnastic apparatus, overload training and physical exercises), the anatomic site injured, the affect biological tissue and the return to training after injury treatment were evaluated. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, absolute and relative frequencies. The training overload, and floor, pommel horse and vault were the events that presented higher injuries frequency. In relation to anatomic site, ankle, hands/fingers and shoulder were the most cited regions. The ligament, bone and articular capsule were the most affected biological tissues. In relation to gymnasts’ return to their sports activities, 56% of them reported a better condition at return, 33% reported to have returned at the same fitness level and 10% indicated that they were in a worse condition when they returned to the sports activities. The men’s artistic gymnastics injuries are related to the mechanical demands of this sport. The analysis of risk factors helps in understanding the injuries mechanisms in gymnastics, and provides relevant information that can assist in effective prevention strategies.

Highlights

Men’s artistic gymnastic (AG) is featured by the executions of high complexity skills to be performed in six di erent apparatus: oor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar[1]
Interviews were conducted at the time the injury occurred or thereafter, during artistic gymnastic competitions or training sessions. e questionnaire included personal information such as age, time of training and weekly training hours
Two events found in the training routine were added to evaluate injury prevalence at the men’s apparatus: overload training and warm up/physical preparation exercises. e participants answered the questions and the investigator, who was in charge of making notes in the questionnaire, conducted the procedure

Summary

Introduction

Men’s artistic gymnastic (AG) is featured by the executions of high complexity skills to be performed in six di erent apparatus: oor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar[1]. AG has shown great evolution due to materials and apparatus development, as well as to training methods improvement[2,3]. Such changes have increased the number of participants, due to a more attractive sport. Improve in performance has been a result from more di cult elements created by the athletes (sometimes with the athlete’s name being given to a speci c movement). A more strict scoring system has resulted from these material, technical and performance improvements. All these factors might lead to a higher injury risk[4,5]

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Conclusion