Pilates guide
Gymnasts are already among the most flexible athletes in sport, and young gymnasts load their wrists and arch their backs hard while they are still growing. So Pilates' job for a gymnast is the opposite of what many classes offer: not more stretch, but control of the range you already have, trunk endurance at low load, shoulder blades that work without weight on sore wrists, hips you can hold and a steady landing leg. The three Pilates studies in gymnasts are tiny, and none of them counted injuries.
Pilates sits beside your coach, your gymnastics conditioning, British Gymnastics' growth, flexibility and welfare rules, and your doctor or physiotherapist when something hurts, never in place of them. Cheerleaders, tumblers and acrobatic gymnasts will find the same advice applies.
This guide covers why more range isn't the goal, which Pilates and reformer moves to change, wrists and growth plates, the lower back, landings, growth spurts and eating enough, what the evidence shows, a 25-minute class and the warning signs.
Gymnasts are among the most flexible athletes studied, with a big gap between the range they can reach and the range they can hold. Pilates' job is trunk endurance, shoulder blades, hips and one-leg balance held with your own muscles, not more stretch; in a growth spurt, British Gymnastics asks for keeping flexibility, not improving it.
The Pilates studies in gymnasts were in 6 rhythmic gymnasts in 1998, 10 men in 2016 and 30 young girls in 2016. None counted injuries, and none is newer than 2016. Pilates for gymnastics performance or injuries hasn't really been tested.
About half of adolescent artistic gymnasts have wrist pain (low-certainty evidence), most often at ages 10 to 14 and with more training, and recovery takes months once the growth plate shows stress. Our class keeps your hands free.
Studies have found stress fractures of the spine in 6.5% to 17% of gymnasts, and in a third of girls in gymnastics seen for back pain at one clinic. Gymnastics already arches the back hard, so leave Pilates back extension out (our suggestion); once a stress fracture is diagnosed, early physiotherapy did better than resting first.
Women gymnasts' injuries are mostly in the legs, and many happen on landing. Pilates adds one-leg balance in the landing shape and hip control; landing and skill training belong to the conditioning workout and the coach.
Injury risk peaks around the growth spurt, and in a study of young athletes across several sports, more weekly hours of sport than their age went with about twice the odds of a serious overuse injury. Low energy availability is common in elite rhythmic gymnasts. Pilates adds training load; it doesn't fix any of these.
Each note keeps its own group and measure; definitions differ between studies.
At three Olympic Games there were 84 injuries per 1,000 registered gymnasts, most often ankle sprains. In US college women's gymnastics, there were 9.22 and later 8.00 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures (one gymnast at one practice or competition), more in competition, and concussion was the most commonly reported specific injury. At a French national centre over six seasons, 91.4% of gymnasts had at least one injury a season, at 1.8 injuries per 1,000 hours.
Men's injuries are mostly in the arms and women's mostly in the legs. At one US university over 10 years, the hand and wrist were men's commonest region (24%) and the foot and ankle women's (39%). In club gymnasts, injury was most common during landing, and sports that land on fixed apparatus had the highest ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury rates of any sport type, at 4.80 per 10,000 exposures in women against 1.75 in men. In 357 injuries in young acrobats over 5 years, wrist injuries were linked most with acrobatic gymnastics and ankle injuries with tumbling.
A 2026 review of 40 studies found ankle, knee, wrist, back and shoulder injuries reported most. Wrist injuries were more common in gymnasts training 20 to 30 hours a week (18.85%) than in those training under 20 (13.41%).
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Pilates can train trunk endurance at low load with the breath, the shoulder blades and rotator cuff with your hands free, hip strength and control in the middle of your range, and one-leg balance in the landing shape, in a calmer session on a rest day (our reading). It can't add range you need (most gymnasts have more than they control), train landings, wrist loading or skills, replace the conditioning workout or coached progressions, treat a wrist or spine stress injury, or make up for not eating enough. Across 11 trials, Pilates built strength no better or worse than other exercise, at very low to low certainty.
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Pilates for gymnastics is untested in practice: three tiny studies, none since 2016 and none counting injuries. Small, mostly low-quality studies of trunk exercise reported less back pain, and the one injury prevention trial in gymnastics didn't cut overuse injuries.
In 6 elite US rhythmic gymnasts in 1998, a leap programme of pool training plus spring-resisted Pilates raised leap height by 16.2% after a month, with no gain after that and no control group, so the Pilates can't be separated from the pool work. In 10 elite Korean male gymnasts in 2016, 5 did 8 weeks of mat Pilates and 5 didn't: sway in an L-sit on the rings didn't change. In 30 Turkish girls aged about 7, groups doing Pilates, rhythmic gymnastics or both for 8 weeks didn't differ on reaction, speed or jump tests, and the paper has data errors. A 2009 review said no controlled trial had tested Pilates for back pain in artistic gymnastics, and our searches on 1 November 2026 found none since.
In 51 young Swedish TeamGym gymnasts (42 analysed, not randomised), 8 weeks of lumbar muscle control exercises reduced the days with back pain; a randomised trial of the same programme in 258 gymnasts was registered in 2009 and has no results posted. In 15 college gymnasts, 10 weeks of back and side-bridge endurance training went with no new back pain in the season, but the comparison group was non-athletes. A 2026 review reported falls of 1.5 to 3.1 points out of 10 for what it called core stability training, but the studies behind those figures mostly tested a postural re-education method (the Mézières method) or combined rehabilitation, two were pilots and one had no comparison group. So small, mostly low-quality studies of trunk exercise reported less back pain; none has shown it prevents back injury.
In 36 child gymnasts, 8 weeks of core stabilisation improved strength and flexibility, but the groups didn't differ on balance, endurance, sprints or jumps. In 45 young rhythmic gymnasts, 8 weeks of functional core training didn't change core stability tests more than usual training, while the same trial's core and jump programme improved jumps. In 24 national rhythmic gymnasts, 12 weeks of core training raised trunk strength but not endurance against controls, and gymnastics performance wasn't measured. In 34 young artistic gymnasts, neuromuscular training produced more good responders for back endurance.
In 23 Norwegian rhythmic gymnastics clubs (205 gymnasts), a 12 to 15-minute warm-up before every session for 8 months didn't reduce overuse injuries in the knees, lower back and hip and groin, and its pelvic floor part didn't reduce leaking. The authors concluded that a targeted programme alone isn't enough.
Across 31 studies, trunk training improved trunk muscle endurance most and sport performance a little. In 29 trials, core training improved core endurance and balance but not sport performance overall. A review of core training and sport skills rated its 16 studies at 2 to 5 out of 10 for quality.
In a randomised pilot in 22 hip-hop dancers, 12 weeks of mat Pilates improved abdominal tests while jump changes were trivial, and the authors say the findings don't establish that it works. In 20 college dancers, adding Pilates went with fewer posture faults and more lower abdominal strength, with no comparison group. Our Pilates for dancers guide has dance in full.
Across 25 trials, strength training cut sports injuries to about a third and balance training to about half, while stretching made no difference. Firm evidence that a weak core causes injuries is lacking.
In a study of 65 people, international gymnasts were the most lax group, with "a large difference between their active and passive ranges, which appeared to render the joints unstable". In 132 elite teenagers, 24.6% of TeamGym gymnasts met a common cut-off for hypermobility, without more injuries, and in a national team of 24 gymnasts, years of training, not hypermobility, went with injuries. No screening test, hypermobility included, has been shown to predict gymnastics injuries.
In 44 college rhythmic gymnasts, both limited and excessive flexibility went with injury, depending on the body region. In 67 young gymnasts, limited flexibility wasn't linked with back pain. In other sports, athletes with very flexible joints had about three times the odds of a shoulder injury (low-quality evidence).
In 39 dance students, strengthening at the end of the range with gentle stretching improved active range more than hard stretching. Across 11 trials, strength training improved range about as much as stretching. A review of very flexible dancers' and gymnasts' hips warns that they can become unstable, pinch, or both.
Its mandatory policy (October 2024) says "3.3.7 A coach must not sit on, lay on, or stand on the gymnast.", that a gymnast must be able to ease off or stop any stretch beyond mild discomfort, and "During periods of rapid growth, the emphasis should be on the maintenance of flexibility rather than improvement." It followed the Whyte Review, which heard from gymnasts that coaches had used their own weight to push stretches further.
No splits or long passive stretches on the reformer or other equipment, no partner-pushed stretches, and no end-range holds in the saw, spine stretch forward, mermaid or leg circles. Several move pages already say, for hypermobility, to work in the middle of your range and stop the reach before its end. Our suggestion: leave the stretching moves out of a gymnast's Pilates altogether, not just make them smaller.
Across 25 studies, wrist pain affected 53% of adolescent artistic gymnasts, at low to very low certainty. In 59 young non-elite gymnasts, 56% had wrist pain and 51% had X-ray signs of stress at the growth plate at the end of the forearm bone (the radius); 83% of those aged 10 to 14 had wrist pain. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that walking and jumping on the hands puts 2 to 4 times body weight through the wrists.
Wrist pain went with age 10 to 14, harder training and more hours, and with starting gymnastics at an older age, not a younger one.
In one study, 24 of 27 gymnasts with wrist pain still had it a year later, and only 5 had seen a doctor. Once the growth plate showed changes on X-ray, recovery took at least 3 months. In reported cases of growth problems at a growth plate, no treatment, late diagnosis and not resting were common. Early treatment is rest, then a gradual return.
Keep you training the trunk, shoulders and hips with your hands free: the bird dog on fists or forearms, the side plank and forearm plank, Y-T-W raises lying down, and wrist circles with no weight on your hands. Loading the wrists belongs in the conditioning workout and our gymnast's wrist guide, and a sore wrist gets no weight in Pilates either (our suggestion).
Each figure keeps its study's design, and older series found more than the newest one.
Back pain affects 25% to 50% of competitive gymnasts, more in rhythmic gymnastics. In 40 elite UK gymnasts scanned whether or not they had pain, 75% had MRI changes; in an older study, MRI changes rose with level and weekly hours. In the long term, former athletes with more X-ray changes didn't report more back pain than non-athletes.
In the first randomised trial (64 athletes aged 10 to 19), starting physiotherapy within a week did better than resting first: back to sport 38 days sooner, and back pain came back in 3% against 29% over a year. Across 14 low-level studies, 92% returned to sport after non-surgical care, at about 4.6 months. USA Gymnastics' rehabilitation protocol keeps arching out early and brings it back gradually.
Gymnastics already arches the back hard in walkovers and handsprings, and "Hyperextension and repetitive microtrauma lead to such injuries in young athletes." So leave the swan, swimming, double-leg kick, rocking and single-leg kick out of a gymnast's Pilates, as our yoga for gymnasts guide leaves yoga backbends out (our suggestion). The bird dog gives back endurance without arching. As USA Gymnastics puts it, "Back pain is NOT normal for any gymnast or athlete to have."
A 2012 review cites peak forces above nine times body weight, within 0.05 seconds, in drop landings from 1.82 m (we couldn't read the original study). College gymnasts landed with higher peak forces than recreational athletes from 60 and 90 cm.
In 32 elite British gymnasts, landing force and differences between the legs didn't predict ankle injury. One team of 31 Japanese university gymnasts had fewer ACL injuries after adding a trunk and balance warm-up, but the injuries were few and the study wasn't randomised.
In 62 gymnasts seen with concussion at one clinic, the floor was the commonest event and 20% lost consciousness. Catastrophic head and neck injuries are rare, but gymnastics had the highest rate among US school and college sports other than football over four decades (1.66 per 100,000 athlete-seasons), falling each decade. That is one more reason we suggest leaving out Pilates moves that put weight on the neck.
One-leg balance in the landing shape, hip control and calf strength, at low load (our reading). Landing practice, spotting and skill progressions belong to the conditioning workout and your coach.
British Gymnastics flags gymnasts between 85% and 96% of their predicted adult height as at risk, and advises modified training, a return to basics, care with landings and keeping flexibility rather than improving it. In 21 national trampolinists, injury risk peaked at about 90% of predicted adult height.
In a case-control study of 1,190 young athletes from several sports, not gymnastics alone, more weekly hours of organised sport than their age in years went with about twice the odds of a serious overuse injury. An expert consensus advises closely monitoring children who train more hours a week than their age, train intensely for more than 16 hours a week, or specialise in one sport.
An expert review concluded that intensive gymnastics training doesn't reduce adult height.
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In 67 elite rhythmic gymnasts training 36.6 hours a week, energy availability was low and first periods came at 15.3 years on average. In 84 adolescent artistic gymnasts, 20.2% scored above the cut-off on an eating disorder questionnaire. A 2026 review says the risk of bone injury rises around puberty, possibly because of later periods, lower bone age and nutritional deficiencies. The International Olympic Committee's 2023 consensus on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs, not eating enough for your training) sets out how to assess it. Pilates adds training load; it doesn't fix not eating enough.
The hundred is the Pilates cousin of the hollow hold, done with the breath at lower load; the dead bug and bird dog train the trunk without arching; and the side plank and forearm plank keep weight off the wrists. Trunk training improves trunk endurance most. The gymnastics conditioning workout keeps the hollow and arch holds, and no study has shown that Pilates core work improves gymnastics skills.
Lateral breathing, 5 to 8 breaths at the start of every session (the move page's dose); knee fold, 5 each side (our Pilates for hypermobility class), lifting to a tabletop and no further; slow breathing, 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6, with no holds (our yoga for gymnasts class).
Hundred, 50 beats to start, building to 100 (the move page's dose), head down if your neck tires; dead bug, 20, alternating sides (our Pilates for figure skaters class); bird dog, 2 sets of 6 each side with 5-second holds (our Pilates for figure skaters class), on fists with sore wrists, as its page suggests, or on your forearms; side plank, 2 holds of 20 seconds each side, on your forearm (our Pilates for figure skaters class); forearm plank, 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds (our Pilates for skiers class), the plank its page suggests with wrist pain.
Y-T-W raises, 5 of each shape (our yoga for gymnasts class); outward rotation with a band, 12 to 15 each arm (the gymnastics conditioning workout); side-lying open book, 8 to 10 slow openings each side, pausing 2 seconds at the end (the move page's dose), in a comfortable range, not to the floor.
Shoulder bridge, 3 to 5 kicks each leg (the move page's dose), kicking only as high as your pelvis stays still; side kick, 8 each side (our Pilates for athletes class), stopping the swing well before your end range; clamshell, 10 each side (our Pilates for athletes class); inner thigh lift, 10 to 12 each side (the move page's dose).
Single-leg stand, 2 sets of 30 seconds each leg in the landing shape, knee soft over your middle toes (our Pilates for figure skaters class); hip airplane, 2 sets of 5 slow turns each leg (the move page's dose), holding a wall or bar; single-leg calf raise from a step, 2 sets of 12 each leg (the gymnastics conditioning workout), slow on the way down.
Wrist and forearm flow, 60 seconds with no weight on your hands (our yoga for gymnasts class); wrist curls, 12, light and slow (the gymnastics conditioning workout), for wrists without pain only. Loading the wrists belongs in the conditioning workout.
No splits or long passive stretches on the reformer, cadillac or chair, no partner-pushed stretches, and no end-range holds in the saw, spine stretch forward, mermaid or leg circles. Leave the stretching moves out altogether (our suggestion).
Leave out the roll-over, jack knife, control balance and boomerang. Their pages already suggest leaving them out with hypermobility unless a physiotherapist who knows your neck has cleared it, because they put weight on your neck; gymnasts practise inversions with their coach, where spotting and progressions apply (our suggestion).
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Leave out the swan, swimming, double-leg kick, rocking and single-leg kick, as our yoga for gymnasts guide leaves out yoga backbends (our suggestion). The bird dog gives back endurance without arching, and the swan's page already says some back pain gets worse with arching.
Back pain that is worse arching back and has lasted more than a couple of weeks can be a stress fracture of the spine (spondylolysis): get it checked.
With a sore wrist, no weight on the hands at all: use the forearm plank, and the bird dog on your forearms. Without wrist pain, your wrists are loaded enough in training, so our class keeps the hands free; the push-up, leg pull back, leg pull front, side bend and knee hover can wait (our suggestion). The leg pull front's page says to use fists or the forearm version if your wrists hurt.
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Keep a soft bend in planks and side planks rather than locking out, as the leg pull front's page says.
Fine for a gymnast without back pain, but they add little to the conditioning workout's hollow, and the teaser's page says it isn't recommended with a lower back injury.
Follow the list in our Pilates after concussion guide (no rolling moves, nothing upside down, no head-down folds) until you're cleared, and the UK guidelines' stages.
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Our 25-minute control class builds trunk endurance at low load, works the shoulder blades with your hands free, trains hips you control and the landing leg, and has no back bends, nothing on the neck and no extra stretching. Before training, use the gymnastics warm-up; for jumps, landings, wrists and shoulders, the conditioning workout. The yoga for gymnasts class is the nearest control class; the dancers, hypermobility and teenagers classes suit some gymnasts, with the swaps their tips give.
A 25-minute Pilates class for gymnasts: low-load trunk endurance, shoulder blades with your hands free, hips you control and the landing leg, and no extra stretching.
25 minBeginner18 movesBand, anchor pointA gymnastics warm-up: skips, wrist circles and rocks, shoulder work, cat-cow, hollow and arch holds, leg swings, short splits holds and landings.
15 minBeginner18 movesBand, wallA gymnastics conditioning session: jumps from the youth vault trial, landings, wrist and shoulder strength, wall handstands, and hollow and arch holds.
45 minIntermediate22 movesOther / check instructions, stepA 25-minute yoga control class for gymnasts: wrists, shoulder blades, the trunk at low load and active range held with your own muscles, with no extra stretching.
25 minBeginner15 movesWallA 20-minute Pilates class for hypermobile joints, HSD and hEDS: supported positions first, mid-range control, slow changes and steady breathing.
20 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, bandA 25-minute low-load routine for hypermobile joints: hip, trunk and shoulder control plus balance, done slowly in the middle of your range.
25 minBeginner15 movesBench or box, wallA 25-minute Pilates class for dancers: feet and calves, turnout control from the hip, trunk endurance and back extension, all in the middle of your range.
25 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, bench or boxA 25-minute Pilates class for teenagers: trunk and hip strength, back and shoulder-blade work for posture, a short plank block and slow breathing to finish.
25 minBeginner19 movesNo equipmentA 25-minute Pilates class for sore wrists: hands-free mat work, moves on your forearms, a short wrist strength block, then steps back onto your hands.
25 minBeginner19 movesWall, dumbbellWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesWall, dumbbellA 25-minute Pilates class for a slipped or cracked vertebra: deep trunk work with your lower back still, hips and hamstrings, a bending-forward rest and no backbends.
25 minBeginner16 movesBand, anchor pointA 15-minute head-up Pilates class for the early stages after a concussion: a symptom check, seated breathing and mobility, and light bodyweight work at a counter.
15 minBeginner12 movesBench or box, wallThe beginner Pilates plan builds the basics over 4 weeks, 3 days a week. For an adult gymnast new to Pilates, fit it around training, on rest days, and use the swaps above.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Call 999 if:
After a fall onto the head or neck, with neck pain, numbness, tingling or weakness, don't move the gymnast and call 999. Only healthcare professionals with the right training should move them.
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Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake or keep their eyes open, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid coming from their ears or nose, has new numbness or weakness, has problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing, hit their head at high speed, or their behaviour has changed. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. If you're told to go to A&E (accident and emergency), don't drive yourself there if you have hit your head.
Stop at once: if in doubt, sit them out. No training or competition for at least 24 hours, an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111, and no competition before day 21. Contact NHS 111 straight away if they're being sick or feel dizzy.
With a suspected concussion, if in doubt, sit them out. The UK's grassroots guidelines say no sport for at least 24 hours, get checked by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 within 24 hours, follow a staged return, and no competition before day 21; if symptoms last beyond 28 days, stay out of sport and see a doctor. Pilates waits too: gentle breathing and mobility fit the early, light-activity stages; bodyweight strength work can start in the light aerobic exercise stage, which allows "low intensity, body weight resistance training"; and springs, weights and harder trunk work come later (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.
An ache on the back or thumb side of the wrist, just above the crease, in a growing gymnast (or cheerleader or diver) that builds with training and may still hurt the next day: possibly gymnast's wrist, a stress injury of the growth plate. Stop weight-bearing on the hands and get it checked: it needs weeks to months off hand loading, not a few days.
Wrist pain that is still there the day after gymnastics, or a swollen wrist: stop weight-bearing on the hands and see a GP or sports doctor. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises a doctor for a wrist that is swollen or painful the next day.
Wrist pain that comes back each time weight on the hands restarts, or hasn't settled after 2 weeks of rest from it: see the clinician again. An X-ray, and occasionally a scan, may be needed.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) or call 999 if an injured wrist or arm is numb, tingling or has pins and needles, a bone is sticking out, or it has changed colour or shape or is at an odd angle. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, you can't use it, or the swelling or bruising is large or getting worse. A wrist that's swollen or painful the next day needs a doctor, and our gymnast's wrist guide covers wrist pain that builds with training.
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Back pain that is worse arching back and has lasted more than a couple of weeks can be a stress fracture of the spine (spondylolysis): get it checked.
A teenager in a sport that arches or twists the back, such as gymnastics, dance, diving, volleyball, tennis, cricket fast bowling, baseball pitching, weightlifting, football or rugby, with back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, is worse arching back or stops them training: get it checked by a GP or sports physiotherapist. It can be a stress fracture in the spine.
Back pain for more than 2 weeks, or worse when arching back, needs a doctor. Call 999 or go to A&E if back pain comes with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, a loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, or changes in your bladder or bowels.
Pain in one spot of a bone that builds with training, then aches at rest or at night, can be a stress fracture: stop that training and get it checked. Our stress fracture guide explains.
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British Gymnastics' pain, injury and illness policy says: "If one person believes that the gymnast is unable to fully or partially train, this must be the decision which is taken." Its guidance advises gymnasts and parents or carers to seek help from a qualified medical professional, such as a physiotherapist, sports doctor or GP, if a gymnast's pain:
See a GP if periods stop or haven't started by 15, or if you're worried about your eating; you can also call Beat on 0808 801 0677.
See a GP if you've missed your period 3 times in a row, your periods haven't started by 15 or have become irregular, or you've had a stress fracture from ordinary activity or more than one. If you're worried about your eating, see a GP as soon as you can, or call the eating disorder charity Beat on 0808 801 0677.
Injury risk peaks around the growth spurt. Modify training, go back to basics, keep flexibility rather than push it, and tell the coach about joint pain, back pain or tight muscles, as British Gymnastics advises.
Stop a stretch that pinches the front of the hip or the back of the ankle, never let anyone push you into the splits or turnout, and with hypermobile joints, stop a move if a joint feels about to slip (our hypermobility guide).
Talk to the club welfare officer, or contact British Gymnastics' welfare team.
If you're hypermobile, don't use mobility work to push further: the NHS says "do not overextend your joints just because you can". See a GP if you think you have joint hypermobility syndrome: for example, your joints keep dislocating, or you keep getting sprains, strains, pain or stiffness.
Call 999 or go to A&E: after an injury, you heard a crack, the foot or ankle has changed shape or points at an odd angle, a bone is sticking out, there is a bad cut over it, you're in severe pain, or the toes look blue or white, feel numb or are cold to touch. These can mean a broken bone. Don't drive yourself.
Same day (NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre): after an injury, you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, the pain is very bad or getting worse, there is a lot of swelling or bruising or it is getting worse, it feels very stiff, or it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself. Get the same help if you also have a very high temperature, or feel hot, cold or shivery: this could be an infection. If you think it's broken, don't treat it yourself.
Same day: a sudden snap or pop at the back of the heel or calf, or a feeling of being kicked there, then walking flat-footed and being unable to push off, stand on tiptoe or climb stairs. It could be an Achilles tendon rupture or a broken heel bone. Go to A&E or a minor injuries unit, or contact NHS 111.
Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully. A pop, quick swelling and a knee that gives way point to an ACL injury: our ACL injury guide says what to do.
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans).
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You feel any pain or become unwell, as the NHS advises for its Pilates videos, and especially for chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting. If you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms, get advice from a healthcare professional, such as a GP, before you start.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
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Gymnasts are among the most lax athletes studied; both too little and too much flexibility went with injury in rhythmic gymnasts; limited flexibility wasn't linked with back pain in young gymnasts; and stretching hasn't prevented injuries in other sports. In a growth spurt, British Gymnastics asks for keeping flexibility, not improving it.
Some studio pages say so, but nothing shows that more end-range stretching helps gymnasts, and British Gymnastics' policy now says a gymnast must be able to ease off or stop any stretch beyond mild discomfort. Range you control is the aim.
No Pilates study in gymnasts counted injuries, and the one injury prevention trial in gymnastics, a warm-up programme, didn't cut overuse injuries.
A third of girls in gymnastics seen for back pain at one clinic had a stress fracture of the spine, and USA Gymnastics says back pain is not normal for any gymnast. Early physiotherapy got young athletes with a stress fracture back to sport 38 days sooner than rest first.
It's common, but in young gymnasts it goes with stress at the growth plate, recovery takes months once X-rays change, and growth problems followed no treatment or late treatment.
Gymnastics already arches the back hard, stress fractures of the spine follow repeated arching, and the gymnastics rehabilitation protocol keeps arching out early. The bird dog gives back endurance without arching.
Firm evidence that a weak core causes injuries is lacking; the programmes that cut injuries trained strength and balance, and stretching didn't help.
In the one trial that compared them in athletes (footballers), both mat and reformer Pilates improved tests, the reformer slightly more on three. Use what you can get to.
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The claim appears on a Pilates body's own blog, but 4 weeks of gentle mat Pilates didn't change lactate in active women, and daily slow breathing added nothing to recovery after hard interval training.
It can be, as rest-day control work: trunk endurance at low load, shoulder blades and the rotator cuff with your hands free, hips you control and one-leg balance. The Pilates studies in gymnasts are tiny and none counted injuries, so treat it as a sensible extra, not a performance tool.
It can, but that's rarely what a gymnast needs: most gymnasts already have more range than they can control. In a growth spurt, British Gymnastics asks for keeping flexibility rather than improving it, so the Pilates here works in the middle of your range.
Trunk endurance with the spine long, such as the dead bug, bird dog and side plank, is reasonable for a back without pain, and small studies of trunk exercise reported less back pain in gymnasts. Back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks or is worse arching needs checking first, because it can be a stress fracture.
We suggest not. Gymnastics already arches the back hard in walkovers and handsprings, and stress fractures of the spine are common in gymnasts. Our class has no back extension; the bird dog does the job without arching.
Pilates can keep you training with your hands free, but it doesn't treat the wrist. A wrist that's swollen or still sore the day after training needs a doctor and no weight on your hands, in Pilates too.
The hundred (the Pilates cousin of the hollow hold), the dead bug, the bird dog on fists or forearms, the side plank on your forearm and the side kick series. Trunk training improves trunk endurance most; the conditioning workout keeps the hollow and arch holds.
It can add spring resistance for the hips and legs, but skip the splits, long passive stretches and anything that puts weight on your neck. No study has tested reformer Pilates on its own in gymnasts; the one 1998 study combined spring apparatus with pool training.
It hasn't been tested. Training hours, growth spurts, early treatment of wrist and back pain, and coached landings matter more, and strength and balance training cut injuries in other sports.
Yes, with a qualified teacher and the changes in this guide; our teenagers class suits them, with its swaps. A young gymnast with back pain, wrist pain the next day, bone pain that builds or missed periods needs a GP or physiotherapist, as the warning signs say.
Neither has been tested properly in gymnasts. Pilates leans towards trunk endurance and control, yoga towards balance and calm; our yoga for gymnasts guide says the same thing about range: control, not more.
Gymnastics builds strength, power and skill at extreme ranges and lands from height; Pilates is low-load control work on a mat or springs. Pilates can sit beside gymnastics, but it doesn't train skills or landings.
The same advice applies: control rather than more range, hands free if your wrists are sore, and no extra back bends. In a study of young acrobats, wrist injuries were linked most with acrobatic gymnastics and ankle injuries with tumbling.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
