Inside Youth Gymnastics: Load, Snapping Hips, And Smarter Recovery with Dr. Kayla Keck DC

Hip pain doesn’t usually arrive in gymnastics with a dramatic fall. It creeps in through invisible volume, deep-range demands, and recovery that can’t keep up. We brought back clinician and former gymnast Kayla Keck to unpack why youth gymnasts develop overuse hip pain and how to fix it without guesswork or gimmicks.

We start by challenging the labels—hip flexor tendinitis, glute med tendinopathy, labral issues, and the umbrella of snapping hip syndrome—and shift focus to causes. Kayla explains how “warm-up” reps often outnumber routines, why repetition is both a performance need and an injury driver, and how to use a simple rule: keep your healing rate just ahead of your injury rate. Expect practical tactics you can use today: logging onset thresholds, capping reps before symptoms spike, and celebrating can-do lists that build momentum instead of fear.

Snapping hip gets a clear, no-drama breakdown. Pain-free popping is often benign; true catching, painful clicks, or getting “stuck” may need imaging. Most athletes can change their symptoms by changing mechanics. Kayla shares core-first drills that stop the low back from stealing hip motion, end-range strength work that stabilizes big split and kick positions, and posterior chain strategies that take pressure off the front of the hip. We also get honest about what makes progress stick: longer one-on-one sessions for precise coaching, cutting two-a-days during flares, and prioritizing sleep and fueling so recovery can finally win.

There’s a deeper layer too—identity beyond the gym. Encouraging small joys outside training lightens mental load and often improves performance. If you’re a coach, parent, or gymnast chasing healthy, durable hips through meet season, this conversation delivers a map: track the load, train the core, own end ranges, and move forward on purpose. If this resonated, subscribe, share with your team, and leave a quick review so more athletes can find it.

you can find Dr. Kayla Keck DC on her website: 

https://p10rp.com/

Instagram: 

@p10rp or @drkaylakeck

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