Characteristics of junior gymnasts patients with distal radius epiphysiolysisy

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of junior gymnasts patients with distal radius epiphysiolysis in terms of their demographic attributes, general joint laxity, and wrist joint function. Thirty-six limbs of 18 junior gymnasts (12±2 years of age) were examined. The evaluation items included age, height, weight, age at which gymnastics was initiated, athletic career, competition level, joint laxity, severity classification of the distal radius injury, dorsiflexion flexibility of the wrist joint, and grip strength. Comparison of the two groups in terms of the presence or absence of the distal radius injury revealed that athletes with this injury were significantly older and taller, had a significantly longer athletic career, and lower dorsiflexion flexibility of the wrist joint. In addition, according to the results of a logistic regression analysis, a decrease in dorsiflexion flexibility of the wrist joint was a risk factor for the development of distal radius epiphysiolysis. Thus, wrist dorsiflexion flexibility may be an important factor for preventing distal radius epiphysiolysis in gymnasts.