Young gymnasts striving for perfect handsprings, somersaults and headstands are risking injuries or arthritis because of the stress placed on their bones, a report suggests.

A study of X-rays and bone scans of athletes in the US aged 12-16 showed they were suffering damage to their joints that could cause painful problems in later life.

In the report to be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, researchers noted that the gymnasts studied showed a “broad constellation of recent injuries” to their wrists and knuckles and evidence of early necrosis, or “death”, of bones.

Using magnetic resonance imaging and other scans, the researchers studied the wrists and hands of 125 child gymnasts, including 12 who complained of recurrent pain.

Jerry Dwek, who led the study at the University of California, San Diego, said that young athletes put enormous stress on their joints, “possibly ruining them for the future”.

“We were surprised to be looking at injuries every step down the hand all the way from the radius to the small bones in the wrist and on to the ends of the finger bones at the knuckles,” Dr Dwek said. “These types of injuries are likely to develop into early osteoarthritis.

Previous studies have suggested that the rate of injury in gymnastics is almost as severe as that in contact sports. For every 10,000 children doing gymnastics each year, 52 will need hospital treatment compared with 75 young rugby players. Nearly 2,600 under-16s are taken to hospital each year in Britain suffering fractures, strains, sprains, dislocations and head injuries due to gymnastics.

Medical professionals fear that parents putting pressure on children to succeed are a possible factor in injuries. Sammy Margo, a chartered physiotherapist from northwest London, said: “Twenty years ago, 1 per cent of my patients were children. Now it’s more like 20 per cent. I do see many children suffering gymnastics injuries. I’m also seeing something I never saw 20 years ago — children with lower-back problems. Some parents are pushing their children into intensive training.”

The young athletes’ scans picked up signs of necrosis, chronic stress injuries and cartilage tears around several joints and bones. The radius bone is particularly at risk.Further research is needed, Dr Dwek said. “It is possible that by changing the way that practice routines are performed, we might be able to limit stress on the joints and on delicate growing bones,” he added.

Matthew Greenwood, performance and technical director for British Gymnastics, said: “We have become more aware of the importance of fitness and safety in recent years, and we are careful not to risk long-term injury by overtraining.”Innovations such as foam mats and low-impact trampolines limited stress, and the minimum age for competitions was rising from 16 to 17 next year.

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