Preseason Upper Extremity Range of Motion and Strength in Relation to In-Season Injuries in NCAA Division I Gymnasts

4Citations
Citations of this article
34Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Background: Gymnastics is a demanding sport that places unique forces on the upper extremity. The repetitive nature of the sport and the high-impact forces involved may predispose the gymnast to overuse injuries. Risk factors for injuries in gymnastics are not well understood. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether preseason upper extremity range of motion (ROM) and strength differ between National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate gymnasts who sustain an in-season upper extremity injury and those who do not. We hypothesized that gymnasts who sustain an upper extremity injury would demonstrate reduced ROM and strength compared with noninjured gymnasts. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Over 4 seasons, from 2014 to 2018, a total of 15 female NCAA Division I collegiate gymnasts underwent preseason upper extremity ROM (shoulder: flexion, internal and external rotation; elbow: extension; wrist: extension) and strength (shoulder: internal and external rotation, and middle and lower trapezius) testing. Overuse upper extremity injuries were tracked in each subsequent season. Gymnasts were dichotomized into injured and noninjured groups, and a 2 × 2 analysis of variance was used to measure differences in preseason measures between the groups as well as within arms (injured vs noninjured arm for the injured group; dominant vs nondominant arm for the noninjured group). Results: A total of 12 overuse upper extremity injuries (10 shoulders; 2 wrist/forearm) occurred during 31 gymnast-seasons. There were no significant interactions for preseason ROM and strength measurements between groups (injured vs noninjured) or within arms (injured and noninjured arm for the injured group; dominant and nondominant arm for the noninjured group; P =.07). Conclusion: Preseason upper extremity ROM and strength were not different between gymnasts who sustained an in-season upper extremity overuse injury and those who did not. It is possible that ROM and strength measures used to screen other overhead athletes may not capture the unique features and requirements of gymnastics. Further, it may be challenging to discern differences in clinical measures of ROM and strength in gymnastics populations owing to the bilateral nature of the sport.

References Powered by Scopus

Normative values for isometric muscle force measurements obtained with hand-held dynamometers

549Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Correlation of glenohumeral internal rotation deficit and total rotational motion to shoulder injuries in professional baseball pitchers

448Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Goniometric reliability in a clinical setting: Shoulder measurements

301Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Shoulder and Hip Range of Motion and Strength Changes Throughout a Season in College Softball Players

7Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

What We Do Not Know About Stretching in Healthy Athletes: A Scoping Review with Evidence Gap Map from 300 Trials

5Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Preseason lower extremity range of motion, flexibility, and strength in relation to in-season injuries in NCAA division I gymnasts

4Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Heck, K., Zeppieri, G., Bruner, M., Moser, M., Farmer, K. W., & Pozzi, F. (2021). Preseason Upper Extremity Range of Motion and Strength in Relation to In-Season Injuries in NCAA Division I Gymnasts. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967120977090

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

Researcher 4

40%

Lecturer / Post doc 3

30%

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 2

20%

Professor / Associate Prof. 1

10%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Nursing and Health Professions 8

67%

Sports and Recreations 2

17%

Computer Science 1

8%

Social Sciences 1

8%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 4

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free