WAG Gymnastics
101
Types of Injuries
Ankle Sprains are very common in gymnastics because of all the landings, whether it be a dismount a front or back landing or even a fall. It is very easy for a gymnast to fall off the apparatus and land on an uneven surface and roll an ankle. Not only that but if a gymnast were to land short after a difficult trick the ankle(s) would be the only weight-bearer of all the force. Ankle exercises such as balancing and strengthening of the Gastronemius would be done and should be done on a regular bases to improve strength and stability of ankles. Stretching of the calcaneul tendon helps with flexubility so if a short landing were to occur a rupture of the tendon will be less likely.
Stress fractures in the back is another common injury you would see from a gymnast. There are so many repetitive arches. rotations and landings that all the force and stress is put on the lower spin. Female gymnasts typically stand with a curve in their lower back arched subconsiously ( they are constantly arching. it is just a natural way now for the body to stand). Female gymnasts are required to land in an upright position, which then in turn causes a lot of stress to be put on the lower back. Strengthening of the the Rectus abdominis and strengthening of the lower lumbar area is important to keep the gymnast in a normal standing position rather than an arched one and to develop muscles in areas of over use. Back raises and sit ups are a very common exercise for gymnasts. Also hollow landings should become a focus rather than having a straight lumbar when doing so.
ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear can be quite common for a gymnast as well. It is not a secret that gymnasts are performing very high level tricks that involve twisting and one leg landings. With this in mind, it can be very easy for a gymnast to land the wrong way once and have that knee give out. Not only this but when there is twisting involved the gymnast might not get that full rotation in before the landing and have the body and knee going in different directions. To Help prevent Acl tears it is important for the gymnasts to strenghten the muscles around that area like the quadracep group, hamstring group, and hip flexors. To do this the gymnast can do squats, hamstring curls, isometric quadraceps extentions with weights and adductions & Abduction of the leg while using tubing.
Source: Ideal Rehabilitation
