Comparative analysis of injury profiles in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics

Injuries are common in both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics due to intense training, biomechanics, and previous injuries. Despite different apparatus and movement patterns, both disciplines pose a high injury risk. This study compared injury prevalence, types, affected body regions, and risk factors between artistic and rhythmic gymnasts. A retrospective survey was conducted in gymnastics clubs with 92 female gymnasts (39 artistic, 53 rhythmic), aged 7-24 years. Since the data were not normally distributed, the Mann-Whitney U-test was used. Artistic gymnasts had a significantly higher injury rate (2.95 per career) compared to rhythmic gymnasts (0.96; p < .01). The Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant differences across athlete categories (p = .07), but training frequency (p < .001) and experience level (p < .001) influenced injury numbers. Post hoc tests revealed that gymnasts training five times per week reported more injuries. Chi-square tests showed that shoulder, wrist, elbow, and ankle injuries were more common in artistic gymnastics. Artistic gymnasts also required more intensive treatments. Most injuries occurred during training. The most frequent treatment was rest with cooling and creams, followed by physical therapy. Recovery time was longer in artistic gymnasts, with some taking over six months to return.