Why wrist pain is common in gymnasts

Gymnasts represent a unique population of athletes because they spend an unusually large amount of time using their wrists as weight-bearing joints. Although wrist pain is common in gymnasts, it is not normal. Using the wrists as weight-bearing joints can lead to overuse injuries of the wrist, such as scaphoid stress fracture and distal radial physeal stress injury. These problems can be successfully treated if considered in the differential diagnosis of a gymnast presenting with wrist pain. Failure to recognize these problems early and manage them appropriately, particularly injury to the distal radial physis, could lead to long-term complications.