Ankle and foot injuries are one of the most common problems gymnasts face. Depending on the study you read, up to 50% of all lower-body injuries in gymnastics occur at the ankle and foot. When you look at the sport, it makes sense. It is full of high impact forces, high repetitions, young athletes going through puberty, and has many cultural issues that might make it challenging to keep the ankle and foot joints healthy.

In an effort to help provide high-quality information to the gymnastics community, I wanted to create this podcast and "mega-blog" for people to use as a reference. I provide all of my thoughts on common ankle and foot injuries and how to manage the stages of different injuries. I also share how to safely progress back to gymnastics after an injury, and how to reduce the risk of ankle and foot injuries in our sport. I have spent hundreds of hours reviewing the literature on this topic in an effort to make this blog very high quality.

0:00 Introduction

8:30 Ankle and Foot Injury Rates in Gymnastics

13:37 What Causes Ankle Injuries in Gymnastics?

30:00 Basic Ankle and Foot Anatomy

43:30 Common Injuries Introduction

45:00 Ankle Sprains

49:58 "Crunched" Ankles / Talocrural Impingement

54:00 Growth Plate Injuries (Sever's Disease, etc)

56:00 Tendonitis and Tendinopathies

1:02:02 Shin Splints

1:04:05 Ankle Stress Fractures / Fractures

1:08:00 Rehabilitation of Ankle/Foot Injuries

1:14:20 Acute Phase - Swelling, Pain, & Walking

1:28:05 Intermediate Phase - Strength & Balance

1:32:05 Advanced Phase - Power & Plyometrics

1:35:25 Return to Gymnastics Phase

1:41:30 How To Reduce Ankle/Foot Injuries in Gymnastics

1:46:20 What If Gymnasts Aren't Getting Better?

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