209 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 E. Sweeney (ed.), Gymnastics Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26288-4_10 Chapter 10 Lower Extremity Injuries in Gymnasts Nicole B. Katz, Ellen Casey, Alexia G. Gagliardi, and Jay C. Albright 10.1 Lower Extremity Introduction The physical demands of gymnastics place extreme loads on many regions of a gymnast’s body. Prior research demonstrates a higher prevalence of lower limb injuries (54.1–70.2%) compared to upper limb injuries (17.1–25.0%) in gymnasts [1–17]. This trend was observed during the last three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, and 2016), where the majority of gymnastic injuries were in the lower limbs (63%) compared to the trunk (23%) or upper limbs (14%) [18]. This trend is also seen in subelite, collegiate, and adolescent gymnasts; injuries to the lower limbs were found to be the most common, followed by injuries to the upper limbs, spine, and trunk [19–21]. Moreover, a recent study assessing all reported injuries in NCAA women’s gymnastics between 2009 and 2014 revealed that half were to the lower limbs [22]. For these reasons, a complete understanding of the most common lower limb injuries and the best course of treatment is necessary to provide the optimal medical care. N. Katz Lewis School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA e-mail: Nicole.Katz@Temple.edu E. Casey (*) Department of Physiatry, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA e-mail: caseye@hss.edu A. G. Gagliardi Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA e-mail: Alexia.Gagliardi@childrenscolorado.org J. C. Albright University of Colorado School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA e-mail: Jay.Albright@childrenscolorado.org