Knee Injuries in Gymnastics - A Complete Guide

02/15/22 • 137 min

In gymnasts, the knee joint has the highest rate of "severe" injuries. Unfortunately, this refers to injuries tending to cause the most tissue damage and pain when they occur. Alongside this, knee injuries also tend to create the most missed time from training and competition. Lastly, as long-term studies have suggested, there is a concerning trend for athletes who suffer injuries like ACL tears having long-term issues related to knee injuries they experienced when younger.

Due to these concerning concepts in research studies, and the unfortunate reality that 1000s of gymnasts still struggle with knee injuries each competitive season, we must take more dedicated actions to help. In an ongoing effort to provide high-quality, science-based education to the gymnastics community, I have started this "mega-blog" series.

My hope is that by laying out the current science as we know it, and describing it in a way that is accessible to everyone in the gymnastics community, we can all work together to make a positive impact on reducing the rates of knee injuries in gymnastics.

0:00 - Introduction

12:30 - Factor 1 - Forces in Gymnastics

15:00 - Factor 2 - Improper Landing Patterns

17:35 - Factor 3 - Repetitive Impact

22:25 - Factor 4 - Lack of Weight Training

32:00 - Factor 5 - Competition Season Structure

35:00 - Factor 6 - Athletes Are Kids

38:30 - Factor 7 - Early Specialization/Year-Round Training

47:40 - Basic Knee Anatomy

1:15:50 - Patellofemoral Joint Pain

1:23:00 - Osgood Schlatters

1:24:20 - Sinden Jarsen Lohanssen Syndrome

1:25:30 - ACL Tears

1:26:10 - MCL Tears

1:27:40 - Meniscus Tears

1:30:15 - Patellar Tendinopathy

1:36:45 - Bone Bruises & Fractures

1:40:00 - OCD & Cartilage Injuries

1:41:45 - Timelines for Knee Injuries

1:43:20 - 4 Phases of Rehabilitation

1:45:00 - Swelling & Pain Management

1:48:15 - Increasing Knee Mobility

1:50:00 - Basic Knee Strength

1:54:00 - Intermediate Knee Strength Programs

1:58:30 - Building Knee Power & Plyometrics

2:04:35 - Return to Gymnastics Programs

2:08:00 - Reducing Risk

2:10:35 - What To Do If Knee Injuries Aren't Improving

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0:00 - Introduction

12:30 - Factor 1 - Forces in Gymnastics

15:00 - Factor 2 - Improper Landing Patterns

17:35 - Factor 3 - Repetitive Impact

22:25 - Factor 4 - Lack of Weight Training

32:00 - Factor 5 - Competition Season Structure

35:00 - Factor 6 - Athletes Are Kids

38:30 - Factor 7 - Early Specialization/Year-Round Training

47:40 - Basic Knee Anatomy

1:15:50 - Patellofemoral Joint Pain

1:23:00 - Osgood Schlatters

1:24:20 - Sinden Jarsen Lohanssen Syndrome

1:25:30 - ACL Tears

1:26:10 - MCL Tears

1:27:40 - Meniscus Tears

1:30:15 - Patellar Tendinopathy

1:36:45 - Bone Bruises & Fractures

1:40:00 - OCD & Cartilage Injuries

1:41:45 - Timelines for Knee Injuries

1:43:20 - 4 Phases of Rehabilitation

1:45:00 - Swelling & Pain Management

1:48:15 - Increasing Knee Mobility

1:50:00 - Basic Knee Strength

1:54:00 - Intermediate Knee Strength Programs

1:58:30 - Building Knee Power & Plyometrics

2:04:35 - Return to Gymnastics Programs

2:08:00 - Reducing Risk

2:10:35 - What To Do If Knee Injuries Aren't Improving

Previous Episode

The story behind #GymnastAlliance

In this weeks mini podcast episode Dave is joined by #GymnastAlliance founder Jennifer Pinches and her co-founder for Gymnast4Change Claire Heafford.

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3 Key Gymnastics Topics Shoulder PreHab, Achilles Tears, and Strength Programs

Recently we started doing a monthly Office Hours, which is essentially a free Zoom meeting for Shift HQ members to ask questions, talk about various problems they’re dealing with and also discuss current trends happening inside the sport.

We hosted the first one last week, and it went very well and so I wanted to share it with everyone because the conversations were fantastic and if you're interested in broadening your gymnastics education gymnastics this is a great thing you can do.

We DISCUSS; What PT do you recommend coaches could give to start to stabilize a SLAP tear in the shoulder? Asked by Juston Ziegler

The NCAA Achilles Issue.

How many meets per year so you do to balance safety and risk?

Hero Lab and hybrid strength training testimonial from Stephen David.

Why do you compete?

I've got athletes at various stages of injuries, what are some tips or ways to keep track of where the kids are on their road to recovery? Asked by Nathan Geffert

And...

How do you decrease wrist strains and pains beyond basic stretching? Asked by Kathy

So if you want to check this episode out you listen and enjoy but if you're curious about The Hero Lab, it's only £9 a month, and join our massive community of people:

https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/