Full-Season Injury Epidemiology in TeamGym—A Prospective Cohort Study Involving 474 Gymnasts

Abstract

Team gymnastics (TeamGym), a sport primarily practiced by girls/women, has rapidly gained popularity among adolescents. Despite a high pain prevalence among gymnasts, comprehensive epidemiological studies on injuries are lacking. This study aimed to investigate injury incidence rates, both overall and by body region including information on time-loss and non-time-loss injuries, type and severity, in competitive TeamGym gymnasts aged 10–30 years. During a 10-month season (August 2021–June 2022), a cohort of 474 gymnasts (73% women) was prospectively followed through weekly text-message queries on injuries, time-loss (partial or full absence from training/competition due to an injury), and gymnastic training and competition exposure. Injuries were verified and categorized through standardized telephone interviews. An injury with reported time-loss of ≥ 4 calendar weeks was classified as severe. Incidence rates were calculated using Generalized Poisson regression. Totally 1382 injuries were recorded, and the overall incidence rate was 14.7 injuries per 1000 h of exposure (95% CI: 13.3–16.3) with an incidence rate of 14.0 for women and 17.2 for men. The foot (24.5%), knee (22.0%), lower leg (10.4%), and lower back (10.4%) were the most frequently injured regions overall in both sexes, and > 60% of the injuries were due to overuse. Incidence rate for severe injuries was 0.5 (95% CI: 0.4–0.7), which predominantly included injuries to the foot/heel (32%), lower back (21%), and knee (19%). The injury incidence rate in TeamGym is high, with three-quarters of injuries being non-time-loss, and nearly two-thirds caused by overuse. Over half of all injuries affected the feet, knees, and lower back across both sexes.