Introduction: Among the variety of sport fields, gymnastics is a basic sport. This sport with its varied apparatuses and movements patterns and learning possibilities for children of all ages, contributes in providing physical and motor fitness. Additionally, it provides an introduction of skills which can be used in a variety of other sports. Women’s Artistic gymnastics is a competitive and popular sport that starts at an early age with elite female gymnasts reaching their prime in mid-teenage years. Due to the involvement of various instruments and complex movement patterns there is high degree of injury risk for the gymnasts, most notably in floor exercises. Therefore, we conducted a study on the prevalence and types of injuries in Iranian elite-level artistic gymnasts during floor exercises. Methods: Our study was descriptive and field-based using retrospective techniques. Statistical sample included 40 Iranian elite-level girl artistic gymnasts who participated in the national championships (2006) in Tehran. We collected the data through a gymnastics injury questionnaire and also conducted interviews with the gymnasts. The mean time frame for recording the injuries was approximately four years, beginning when the athlete first started the sport. The Cron-bach’s Alpha coefficient for the questionnaire utilized was 0.90. Descriptive statistics (mean and frequency tables) were utilized for the investigation of the rates of prevalence of sport injuries in elite girl artistic gymnasts during floor exercises. For statistical analysis, SPSS version 11.5 was employed. Results and conclusion: Results indicated 1004 total injuries for the gymnasts whilst performing floor exercises. These results were from the beginning of their participation in the sport to present. The prevalence of sport injuries during floor exercises and type of injuries (e.g., muscular, bone, skin, etc.) on different part of the body of the gymnast revealed muscle injuries (74.3%) as the predominant injury, skin injuries (16.4%), joint injuries (8.6%) and bone injuries (0.7%). The most prevalent muscle injuries during floor exercises were muscle spasm (41%), and muscle strain (32.4%). The most prevalent skin injury was abrasion (96.3%). The most prevalent joint injury was sprain (86.2%) and the most common type of bone injury was capillary fracture (50%). Most of injuries occurred in the thigh and groin regions. Due to the high prevalence of injuries coaches, trainers, doctors, parents and gymnasts should consider more appropriate diagnostic criteria to identify those who are more prone to injury and utilize specific training techniques for the floor exercises with a view to reduce the overall prevalence of injuries in the sport.

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