hypermobility

[harry'smum]

Hi
Have been lurking on site for a while now, but have finally joined and plucked up the courage to post!
My DS is 7 and been doing gymnsatics for approx 2 years. He currently does 10 hours pw.
Since starting gymnastics we (and his coaches) have realised he is hypermobile, most noticeably in shoulders, hips and ankles.

He has had no problems - pain etc from this but my DH is concerned for the future and worries about arthritis in later life.

Does anyone have any experience of this, or is there anything we should be aware of - prevention, do's and dont's etc

Hope this is in the right place?

Thanks

 

[CoachGoofy]

Talk to a doctor and a PT, preferably some who know both about hypermobility AND gymnastics (they do exist, I swear). They will be better able to provide this kind of info than the internet, since this sort of thing varies depending on the person.

 

[harry'smum]

Thanks - sorry to be a bit dim, but what is a PT, and how would I go about finding one(in the UK)...?

 

[gymgurl]

PT = Physiotherapist

You could probably ask your local doctor or look up practices in the phone book ring up and inquire, internets a great source of information

 

[Kiwi]

There are also some specialised dance physiotherapists who would be knowledgable about this kind of thing.

 

[Faith]

In the uk you can go see your GP, and ask for a referral to an nhs physio. There may (will!) be a waiting list, and if he isn't actively having a problem they may not do anything. My experience of nhs physio's and gymnastics is the look at your range of movement, are absolutely amazed and send you home saying if you can do that there's not much wrong that they can do anything about! Its highly unlikely you'll chance on someone with any sport specific knowledge.

Alternatively, if you can afford it, you can go private. Word of mouth is best, ask at your gym, or local sports ground/leisure Centre.

Has his hypermobility actually been diagnosed? The actual clinical condition (with associated medical issues) is quite different from being extremely flexible. It is possible to have all splits and shoulder mobility without having hypermobility syndrome. So ask your GP/physio for a diagnosis.

As far as I am aware with true hypermobility the main immediate issue is dislocation. Your Ds' coaches will need to limit his stretching, and work on strengthening the muscles round the joint.

 

[Galadriel]

nhs although free can be not a lot of use - in the way faith said.
dd was in pain with hips and lower back and got referred - i was worried about causing long term damage
doc said that it wasnt going to cause long term damage (phew) but if it hurt, to stop the activity - not what she wanted to hear - was on the verge of quitting.

went to specialised sport physio (maybe useful to ask at a local athletics club if they have any contacts as i know our local one does) and went on to many further years of training and competing.
Their rate for Initial assessment is £35. Their follow up appointments are now £25 a session (45 mins treatment and 15 mins rest aftre treatment) for an injury treatment appointment, and £20 for a 'maintenance' (which we dont actually go to as too expensive unfortunately - she would love it!)

I swear by it. She goes when something niggles (usually 2 or 3 times a year).

PM me your part of the country if you want and if you happen to be in our part of the country i can recommend highly a particular practitioner (this was the 2nd one we tried)

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Hi
Have been lurking on site for a while now, but have finally joined and plucked up the courage to post!
My DS is 7 and been doing gymnsatics for approx 2 years. He currently does 10 hours pw.
Since starting gymnastics we (and his coaches) have realised he is hypermobile, most noticeably in shoulders, hips and ankles.

He has had no problems - pain etc from this but my DH is concerned for the future and worries about arthritis in later life.

Does anyone have any experience of this, or is there anything we should be aware of - prevention, do's and dont's etc

Hope this is in the right place?

Thanks

arthritis is something that EVERYONE gets whether they do sports or not. whether they are hypermobile or not. but hypermobility of any joint DOES NOT cause arthritis. old age and decay and human degradation do. tell DH to relax.

and welcome to the CB>

 

[profmom]

If a child is not having any problems (no sprains/strains and no joint pain), is a high degree of joint flexibility something to worry about? Both of my gymnasts can hyperextend their elbows to disgusting degrees and have a lot of shoulder mobility. When they're warming up and they do the stretch that's like the yoga cobra pose but they also lift up their feet, my daughter can put the balls of her feet on her forehead; when my son's stretching his shoulders in a lying down position on the floor with his arms straight out over his head, he gets his head to rest on the ground and his arms flat. I don't know if this sort of thing alone constitutes hypermobility and if so, if this is a problem. (I always just thought it was kind of gross looking when they do these things.)

 

[thefellowsmom]

Hi and welcome to the Chalkbucket!

My dd is hypermobile in her elbows and dislocated one doing a backwalkover in November, so it definitely can cause problems. I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about hypermobility

I totally agree that you should look into someone who is both familiar with physical therapy and gymnastics. Maybe ask your coach for a recommendation. They may know someone from working with injured gymnasts before that they like and trust. I am certainly not a doctor or an expert, just a parent so don't quote me or hold anything against me.

So, my daughter went to six weeks of PT to get her range of motion back and loosen the muscles and tighten the tendons. She is now working with someone (2-3 appts per month) on preventative care. She sees someone who specializes in gymnasts. He works with all the big gyms in our area and is present at all the meets as emergency care. I pay him a monthly fee and he works with her on this as well as other gymnastics specific things such as explosiveness, core strength and control and safe landings. This is a compliment to the training she gets from her coaches as he works with them as well.

They are working on strength of the muscles surrounding her elbows, so biceps triceps forearms wrists shoulders etc. They are also working on teaching her to control it. This is what I feel is most important in this case. They work with her on how to stop before she hyperextends, not allowing her elbow to turn. When you are hypermobile and your coach is always saying straight straight straight, you end up hyperextending and from what I heard, you will be very lucky not to injure yourself, especially elbows in young gymnasts. Straight to someone who hyperextends actually feels bent.

I remember this from yoga class. My instructor would say straight legs to everyone and then she would walk over to me and say 'except you, yours should feel slightly bent'. She showed me in the mirror and she was right. My leg was straight, but it felt bent to me.

So, they work on this with her and it really seems to be helping. I have noticed a difference in her handstands and planks. She has homework that she does between appointments, just like PT.

Every kid is different, of course, and many may never have a problem, but I would say if it is concerning to you talking to your coach and doctor about what options are available to work on strength and control would definitely be a conversation worth having.

 

[harry'smum]

Thank you for all your replies!

Have not had a confirmed diagnosis, just looked it up on internet after coach mentioned it to me. Will have a word with coach to see if he thinks it an issue.
Just looks so weird to see him dislocating his arms with such ease on bars and other strange stretches..!

 

[fuzi]

As someone who had very flexible shoulders as a gymnast and ended up with shoulder surgey at 22, I too would recommend seeing a good PT who is familiar with gymnastics. Hypermobility on its own is not an issue, but it may make your gymmie more prone to injuries (or dislocations) now or later on. A good PT can suggest exercises for joint stabilization and make sure all the muscle groups are working correctly. As a dancer, gymnast, and circus performer on and off from age 4 to age 20, I wish I had someone looking over my body in a preventative way. If you can find and afford a good PT (or even athletic trainer), and get your son to do the "homework" they suggest, you can set him up for a longer and healtheir gymnastics career and athletic lifestyle.

 

[BlairBob]

Well, if said little guy actually is hypermobile that will generally just means his joints can be more unstable. Same with girls. If anything, such kids tend to be weaker. They can be less explosive for example because they are weaker. It's not much of a problem at lower levels, but if anything they may never make it to higher level gymnastics. Hard to say. The thing to really watch for is landings with straight legs and elbow pain from straight arm work and apparatus. I can't recall ever seeing it in a competive MAG athlete but I have dealt with it competitive WAG athletes.