Department of Physiatry, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York.
Champion PT and Performance, Waltham, Massachusetts.
Sports Health. 2022 May-Jun;14(3):358-368. doi: 10.1177/19417381211034510. Epub 2021 Jul 31.
Achilles injury risk in women's collegiate gymnastics is 10-fold higher than in all other collegiate sports. This study aims to identify risk factors for Achilles tendon ruptures in collegiate female gymnasts.
Gymnasts with Achilles tendon ruptures will be more likely to report early gymnastics specialization, elite-level training before college, and performance of high-difficulty skills on floor and vault.
Cross-sectional study.
Level 4.
Anonymous surveys were distributed to current and former collegiate female gymnasts, aged 18 to 30 years, via coaches, athletic trainers, Twitter, and ResearchMatch. Information about Achilles tendon ruptures, gymnastics-related injuries, sport specialization, event/skills participation, and medication use were collected.
A total of 581 gymnasts were included. One hundred gymnasts (17.2%; 95% CI: 14.1%-20.3%) reported Achilles tendon ruptures during collegiate training or competition. Most ruptures (91%) occurred on floor exercise; 85.7% of these occurred during back tumbling-take-off. Compared with gymnasts without ruptures during college, a greater percentage of gymnasts with ruptures competed at a Division I program, trained elite, competed difficult vaults and floor passes before and during college, competed in all 4 events during college, identified as Black/African American, and used retinoid medications.
Achilles tendon ruptures are more common in women's collegiate gymnastics than other sports. Competing at the elite level, performing difficult floor and vault skills, and competing in all 4 events may increase the risk for an Achilles tendon rupture. Potential nontraining risk factors include retinoid exposure and Black/African American race. Future studies regarding the mechanisms of Achilles tendon ruptures in female collegiate gymnasts are warranted.
Collegiate gymnasts who compete at the elite level, perform high levels of difficulty on floor and vault, and compete in all 4 events may be at increased risk for Achilles tendon ruptures.
女性大学生体操运动员的跟腱受伤风险是所有其他大学生运动项目的 10 倍。本研究旨在确定大学生女性体操运动员跟腱断裂的危险因素。
跟腱断裂的体操运动员更有可能报告早期体操专项化、大学前的精英级训练以及在地板和跳马项目上表演高难度技巧。
横断面研究。
4 级。
通过教练、运动训练师、Twitter 和 ResearchMatch 向年龄在 18 至 30 岁的现役和退役大学生女性体操运动员分发匿名调查。收集了跟腱断裂、与体操相关的受伤、专项运动、项目/技能参与和药物使用的信息。
共有 581 名体操运动员被纳入研究。100 名体操运动员（17.2%；95%CI：14.1%-20.3%）报告在大学训练或比赛期间发生跟腱断裂。大多数（91%）断裂发生在地板运动项目上；其中 85.7%发生在向后翻滚-起跳过程中。与大学期间未发生跟腱断裂的体操运动员相比，发生断裂的体操运动员中，更多的人参加了一级项目，精英级训练，在大学前和期间参加了难度较大的跳马和地板项目，在大学期间参加了全部 4 个项目，自我认定为黑人/非裔美国人，以及使用维 A 酸类药物。
女性大学生体操运动员的跟腱断裂比其他运动更为常见。参加精英级训练、表演高难度的地板和跳马技巧以及参加全部 4 个项目可能会增加跟腱断裂的风险。潜在的非训练风险因素包括维 A 酸类药物暴露和黑人/非裔美国人种族。未来关于女性大学生体操运动员跟腱断裂机制的研究是必要的。
参加精英级训练、在地板和跳马项目上表演高难度技巧以及参加全部 4 个项目的大学生体操运动员，跟腱断裂的风险可能会增加。
