5 Fantastic Medical Resources for Gymnastics Sports Medicine Providers

Today is just a quick post for the Gymnastics medical providers out there. I get asked a lot about where I find research, books, or scientific studies for rehabilitation. To be honest, I just do recurring PubMed searches and also try to keep an open network with other professionals to hear new thinges emerging. Here are 5 great books or articles that have come out in the last few years for people to use.

1. The Science of Gymnastics: Advanced Studies

This book came out in 2018, and it’s an absolutely essential read. Although parts of it are dense, it’s the most comprehensive textbook I’ve read on gymnastics biomechanics, injuries, energy systems, mental health concepts, and motor learning. It has quite a line up of researchers and authors inside.

2. A Systematic Review of Gymnastics Injuries by Thomas and Thomas (2018)

This also came out in 2018 and is a fantastic parallel to the textbook above. It digs into all the current research available on gymnastics injuries, with data ranging from survey or case reports to data from the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games. Definitely worth the morning with a cup of coffee to stay current with injury trends.

 

3. Sports Medicine Handbook: Gymnastics

Prior to number 1’s release, this book was the only other book I knew about that had a ton of great information reviewed. I would say it is also worth reading, as there is a lot of information related to more specific biomechanics, forces, and medical imaging.  Reading through both of the textbooks mentioned so far were game-changing in how I approached gymnastics medical care.

4. Anything by Dr. William Sands 

For real, Dr. Sands is one of the most legendary and well respected scientists in gymnastics. His work has been incredibly helpful for me to create new ideas, assist gymnasts with injuries, and work with coaches to create new training concepts. Along with his work in the books above, he also has really two great chapters on Recovery and Flexibility in the text Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance by Moody and Jeffreys, and another great chapter on flexibility in the text Strength and Conditioning for Youth Athletes (which honestly is just an amazing book in general).

 

5. Optimizing of Training for Muscle Hypertrophy and it’s Implication for Gymnastics 

This article came out in 2017, and was a great review of muscle hypertrophy concepts as it related to gymnastics. In textbooks it can get a little thick, and the applicability to gymnastics can sometimes get lost in the middle. This free access article was great to bridge both areas of study.

 

6. (Bonus) My Free Gymnastics Medical Providers E-book

I wanted to only include this as a bonus because I feel super weird/egotistical putting my own work on this list. This is not intended to be self-promoting, but I just wanted people to know my entire review of gymnastics injuries, rehabilitation, and return to sports programs is available for free via email if you want it. Just put your information in, and it will come your way.

 

Hope they help!

Dave

Dr. Dave Tilley DPT, SCS, CSCS

CEO/Founder of SHIFT Movement Science