Summary: Gymnastics places some fairly unique demands on fairly young bodies. In episode 26 of the Physio Edge podcast, I discuss these demands with Kingsley Gibson, a Sports Titled Physiotherapist that has worked with Australian Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Shooting and Hockey teams at a number of Commonwealth and Olympic games, and works with elite gymnasts on a daily basis. For his services to gymnastics, in 2000 the Commonwealth awarded Kingsley with a Sports Services Medal. So Kingsley has a lot of experience to draw on, and we got into detail on a number of topics. In this podcast we discuss: Common injury patterns in the various gymnastic disciplines Important factors to consider when returning gymnasts to training and competition Factors that can influence your gymnasts treatment outcome Communication with parents and coaches How to best implement load management strategies Various motor control patterns in gymnasts that contribute to injuries Screening gymnasts Designing specific upper limb rehab programs Lower limb and lumbar spine rehab programs Management of acute vs chronic injuries Stress reactions in the Lumbar spine Apophyseal injuries - hip flexors, hamstrings, calcaneus (Sever’s) and Osgood-Schlatter’s Management of apophyseal injuries compared to tendinopathy Motor control/“stability” patterns in gymnasts When to order imaging Growth plate injury management - particularly in the wrist The effect of other factors such as training surfaces and equipment on injury Links of Interest Become incredibly flexible by subscribing to the Physio Edge podcast or giving it a review on iTunes Kingsley Gibson Sydney Sports Medicine Centre at Homebush Sydney Wests Sports Medicine at Rooty Hill Clinical Edge Available online education with Clinical Edge
