Poster Q1 - Evaluation of head kinematics experienced during common skill progression pathways in men’s artistic gymnastics

Introduction: Gymnastics is a popular, multi-disciplinary sport with more than 4.2 million participating athletes in the US [1]. Concussions are a common injury in gymnastics; yet limited research exists describing the complex loading environment of the head experienced by gymnasts during normal participation in the sport [2]. Understanding the characteristics of head motion in gymnastics can help to inform stepwise progressions during recovery. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate head kinematics experienced during skills performed within common skill progression pathways in men’s artistic gymnastics.

Materials and

Methods: Eight men’s artistic gymnasts (ages 11-18) were instrumented with a mouthpiece embedded with a triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope and were asked to perform a battery of gymnastics skills. Skills were selected from seven skill progression pathways: backward tumbling on floor, forward tumbling on floor, bar/ring elements, releases, dismounts, Tsukahara vaults, and Yurchenko vaults. The mouthpiece was set to record continuous data at 100 Hz for 10-minute periods, and a camera recorded the gymnast while they performed each skill twice. Each skill recording was time synchronized with kinematic data in the film. Key frames associated with the start time (i.e., initiation of skill motion) and end time (i.e., completion of skill motion) of each skill were identified. Peak linear acceleration (PLA), peak rotational acceleration (PRA), the resultant change in rotational velocity associated with the PRA (ΔRV), and peak rotational velocity (PRV) were computed. Mixed effects models were used to evaluate differences in each kinematic metric across skills within a progression pathway while adjusting for random effects of the participant.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Progression through the backward and forward tumbling pathways resulted in a continuous increase in kinematic metrics (Figure 1); however, for some skill progression pathways (e.g., bar/rings elements), there was a variable relationship (i.e., increase followed by decrease). Kinematic metrics measured during the Yurchenko and dismount skill progressions remained relatively consistent throughout each progression.
The results revealed variable relationships in kinematic metrics, showing that common progression pathways do not always correspond to a linear increase in kinematic metrics. This indicates that elements beyond skill complexity contribute to head kinematics experienced by gymnasts. Post-concussion return-to-sport protocols should account for the diverse biomechanical demands (e.g., apparatus, landing surface) imposed by each skill, facilitating sport-specific and biomechanically informed progressions back into sport post-injury. This study provides important evidence to inform the development of return-to-sport protocols in men’s artistic gymnastics.

Acknowledgements (Optional): Thank you to Konstantina States for their help with this study. This study was funded by the NIH (R03HD104894, R21HD108530).