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I’m interested in how it might be possible to avoid injury in a gymnastics program that includes long training hours for children, high numbers of repetitions of each skill, and the early introduction of difficult skills. I’m particularly interested in how it might be possible to avoid chronic injuries such as stress fractures and growth plate problems in gymnasts who do high volume and high intensity training during adolescence, when they are most vulnerable. Although such injuries should not be common in a group young students, increased training and age exact a toll: for example, recent studies suggest that wrist injuries affect over half of beginning to mid-level gymnasts (although, apparently, many of these injuries are not reported to parents or coaches), and 13 of 19 elite gymnasts (age 13–20) who attended a US training camp had degenerative disk disease or herniated disks. [Clin J Sport Med. 2002 Nov;12(6):348-53; Skeletal Radiol. 2006 Jul;35(7):503-9]
While expert spotting, good conditioning, and padding can undoubtedly help to prevent acute injuries, it’s not clear that they can mitigate the stresses that contribute to growth plate injuries. It doesn’t seem at all clear that increased conditioning can protect children from stress-related injury, particularly if some of that conditioning involves performing high numbers of repetitions of movements that could themselves cause injury. Softer surfaces may be protective—or they could contribute to injury, e.g., by increasing wrist dorsiflexion under load. [Am J Sports Med. 2006 May;34(5):840-9]
Medical experts who study gymnastic injuries recommend limiting the number of repetitions, training periodization with defined rest periods to avoid progressive stress, and reducing training loads during the adolescent growth spurt. [Br J Sports Med. 2006 Sep;40(9):749-60]. Unfortunately, those recommendations are at odds with the pressures some coaches may feel to increase training loads and intensity (especially, perhaps, as girls enter their early or mid-teens), but it is clear that coaching practice in gymnastics has gotten far out in front of the science. In "Injury Prevention in Women's Gymnastics", Bill Sands wrote, "The optimum training of children is perhaps the most important problem facing contemporary gymnastics for women." He also wrote, "Gymnastics coaches often cite the number of repetitions of routines and skills performed by gymnasts from other countries...as a compelling reason for increasing training volume." Sands continued, "[M]ethods for training children [in gymnastics] must be investigated further. Without such increased effort, gymnastics and injury prevention will continue as in the past."
While expert spotting, good conditioning, and padding can undoubtedly help to prevent acute injuries, it’s not clear that they can mitigate the stresses that contribute to growth plate injuries. It doesn’t seem at all clear that increased conditioning can protect children from stress-related injury, particularly if some of that conditioning involves performing high numbers of repetitions of movements that could themselves cause injury. Softer surfaces may be protective—or they could contribute to injury, e.g., by increasing wrist dorsiflexion under load. [Am J Sports Med. 2006 May;34(5):840-9]
Medical experts who study gymnastic injuries recommend limiting the number of repetitions, training periodization with defined rest periods to avoid progressive stress, and reducing training loads during the adolescent growth spurt. [Br J Sports Med. 2006 Sep;40(9):749-60]. Unfortunately, those recommendations are at odds with the pressures some coaches may feel to increase training loads and intensity (especially, perhaps, as girls enter their early or mid-teens), but it is clear that coaching practice in gymnastics has gotten far out in front of the science. In "Injury Prevention in Women's Gymnastics", Bill Sands wrote, "The optimum training of children is perhaps the most important problem facing contemporary gymnastics for women." He also wrote, "Gymnastics coaches often cite the number of repetitions of routines and skills performed by gymnasts from other countries...as a compelling reason for increasing training volume." Sands continued, "[M]ethods for training children [in gymnastics] must be investigated further. Without such increased effort, gymnastics and injury prevention will continue as in the past."
You must be totally dedicated to the girls and sport
. I do not see any system that would support that
. Do you mean that you work in a school program and that is enough to cover your coaching hour?
accidents and mistakes. No matter how good you are or someone else may be, experience does not insure against all possibilities. In most of your posts you make it sound like you can do no wrong. That is a pretty bold message to imply.
Well, I hope all goes great for you. By the way, I would like to hear from some of the other staff at your facility
. Get 'er done, bye
... & you never know your younger dd may just surprise you after taking some time off and want to get back into the cheer sport, but having fun is what it is all about
