Is Hip and Lumbar-Spine Pain Related to Physiological Characteristics in Young Elite Gymnasts?

Gymnastics performances entail complex and extensive movements that require specific body morphology, strength, and flexibility that may lead to hip and lumbar-spine injuries. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of hip and lumbar-spine pain and their associated physiological characteristics in young gymnasts.

Two hundred seventy-four female rhythmic, acrobatic, and artistic gymnasts age 9 to 16 years were physically examined for hip and lumbar-spine pain and reported pain experienced during training on a visual analog scale. In addition, gymnasts were assessed for impact of training, anthropometric parameters, hip muscle strength, and hip and spine joint range of motion (ROM).

Fifty gymnasts (18.2%) presented hip pain, 40 (14.6%) presented lumbar-spine pain, 63 (20.3%) presented hip and lumbar-spine pain, and 121 (44.2%) were pain free. Gymnasts with hip and lumbar-spine pain were significantly older and had greater body mass than injury-free gymnasts (P = .028 and .044, respectively). Group effect showed that gymnasts with hip pain and gymnasts with hip and lumbar-spine pain had weaker muscle strength and greater joint ROM than pain-free gymnasts (P < .05). Puberty effects showed that postpubertal gymnasts were significantly stronger and had reduced joint ROM compared with prepubertal gymnasts. Group × puberty interaction for hip-abduction ROM (F3,243 = 4.2, P = .006) indicated that postpubertal gymnasts with hip and lumbar-spine pain had significantly lower joint ROM than prepubertal gymnasts with pain.

Young competitive gymnasts are at high risk of experiencing hip and lumbar-spine pain. Clinically, it is suggested that young gymnasts should be routinely screened for musculoskeletal pain and physiological abilities by an expert from a very young age.