It’s all in the wrist: Gymnasts may be developing more hand and wrist injuries

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Considering the pounding gymnasts’ bodies take, it’s no secret they’re prone to chronic and serious musculoskeletal injuries. This is especially worrisome since many start at a young age when bones are still growing.

A new study finds that teenage gymnasts may be developing some injuries to their wrist and knuckle bones that have not been seen before.

Researchers did MRIs on the wrists and hands of 125 adolescent gymnasts ages 12 to 16, including 12 who had chronic wrist or hand pain. Injuries were found from the radius bone (a long bone in the forearm), to the small bones of the wrist, and the ends of the finger bones at the knuckles. Some had necrosis, or early, unnatural death, of their knuckle bones.

‘The broad constellation of recent injuries is unusual and might point to something new going on in gymnastics training that is affecting young athletes in different ways,’ said Dr. Jerry Dwek, assistant clinical professor of radiology at UC San Diego, and the study’s lead author, in a news release. The research was presented at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting this week in Chicago.

He added that more research is necessary to find the cause of the injuries, and said, ‘It is possible that by changing the way that practice routines are performed, we might be able to limit the stress on the joints and on delicate growing bones.’

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo: Japanese gymnast Koji Yamamuro. Credit: Udayan Nag / Associated Press