Injury profile in elite acrobatic gymnasts compared by gender

Abstract

Acrobatic gymnastics is associated with injury risk. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge on injury incidence, type and severity in acrobatic gymnasts of both sexes. An epidemiologic, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving 54 gymnasts: 23 males and 31 females aged 14 to 23. The training characteristics (training time: days and hours), as well as the injuries suffered (site, type, severity and moment of injury) were assessed. A total of 89 injuries were recorded. Injury incidence was 9.85/1,000 h of exposure among women and 9.15 among men. The highest percentage of injuries was located in the lower limb, with no significant differences based on sex. Ligament injuries were the most common among women, while tendonitis prevailed among men. The majority of injuries occurred while performing group skills in the technical part of the session (27% during dynamic and 23.6% during static skills), bases suffered a greater number of injuries than tops. It was concluded that muscle and ligament injuries were the most common injury types, the lower limb the most frequently affected body region and moderate the most frequent severity level in both sexes. The variables sex and role were associated with injury incidence.