Lower Extremity: Hip/Knee and Lower Leg/Ankle Gymnastics Injury Prevention, Predisposition, Common Injuries, Treatment and Return to Sport

NOTE:  This course is not available as part of our subscription plans.  This course must be purchased individually. 

Course Description

This course is part 6 of a 10-part series which may be taken independently or as a part of Gymnastics Sports Medicine Certification (GSMC) offered by MedGym (For further details regarding the GSMC click HERE.) 

Lower extremity injuries in gymnastics are prevalent uniquely because of a combination of both weight bearing and non-weight bearing activities due to the triplanar motion and stress of the hip. Certain injuries have a higher prevalence also due to the contrasting demands of both flexibility and stability. Taking into consideration the rotational and angular velocity as well as varied landing surfaces, the hip, knee, foot and ankle are subject to an excessive amount of stress. Risk factors can be mitigated with identifying strength, movement, flexibility, and stability variables, proper body alignment and preparation, and adherence to body mechanics in the entire lower kinetic chain. Both acute injuries and chronic lower extremity pain exist throughout the sport and can vary with practice volume and skill difficulty. Identification of the etiology from performance analysis to movement pattern identification is equally as important as diagnostics and subsequent protocols. This course will bring awareness to movement patterns and trends related to hip and knee diagnoses and etiology using a niche, sports-specific return-to-performance that combines proper rehab techniques and future re-injury reduction.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Summarize gymnastics injury prevention methods for the hip, knee, foot and ankle that can be applied within and outside of training.
• Explain the diagnostic process for orthopedic and pediatric injuries most commonly seen in the hip, knee, foot and ankle of gymnasts.
• Recall partial sport participation with specific injuries of the hip, knee, foot and ankle.
• Describe a return to sport protocol for specific injuries of the hip, knee, foot and ankle.
• Recognize the predisposition to hip, knee, foot and ankle injuries based on age, level, and training cycle demand.
• Identify the most common hip, knee, foot and ankle injuries within the sport of gymnastics.

• Prerequisites

  None

• Educational Level

  Basic

• Other

  Satisfactory completion of this course will require the participant to respond to various polling questions asked throughout the webinar.