WAG Spondylolysis/thesis- you either have it or you don't?

[munchkin3]

A couple of girls at our gym are out with back issues. One of them is serious and I dread that she will not be able to do gymnastics anymore. Obviously the rest of the parents are all freaked out (me included) and wondering if we should have our kids checked.......
My question is- is having our kids checked periodically sensible if they are not having any back pain? Are there any gym parents who have their kids X rayed on a regular basis to check for wrist/back problems? If they are healthy, does this mean they are not at risk for thesis??????

I have asked DD if she has had back pain and of course the answer is 'yes, mom, sometimes it can hurt' so I have to ask a million questions.....she is very flexible in her back and if she is not properly warmed up it can hurt from time to time, but it GENERALLY does not hurt.

 

[skschlag]

So, from our experience with D's back this year, I have learned a little. There are stress reactions, which are the precursors to stress fractures, and those can show up on MRI.

Here's the issue I see with regular xrays. They are not accurate in wrists and back. So if they see one small issue on an xray, as they did with my ds, then they want an mri. That is a lot of radiation and money. And for what? I think it is better to listen to your kiddo, make sure they are honest with you and their coach regarding any unusual pain, and then get checked.

We do have d resting if his back has any pain, no bridges, no superman stretches, etc. He warms it up, and does what he has to do. He might be able to go back to some of those stretches as his back heals (he did not have a fracture).

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the sport, I think any gymnast is at risk. I do watch him at practice from time to time to get a good idea on how he is doing. And I make sure he talks to me. That is our best defense against serious overuse injuries.

 

[tomtnt]

Due to heightened concerns regarding radiation exposure in the pediatric populaton and the poor sensitivity of xrays for detecting pars defects, I don't think any physician would recommend screening asymptomatic gymnasts with xrays.

 

[HelenZ]

Dd had a stress reaction several years ago. After several weeks of serous back pain I had her checked out MRI, CT. She had to wear a flexible brace and was allowed to condition and do leaps etc. as long as she had the brace on. She recovered by the end of the season and competed regionals. I had follow up MRIs done several months apart (no radiation) and it cleared up nicely. Since she has gone through puberty and is full grown the doctors aren't worried about a recurrence. I would't pre-screen but if back pain persists get it checked asap. we've had several gymnasts go through actual stress fractures and they are all still competing after the proper time off.

 

[munchkin3]

Thanks Helen. My friends daughter has slippage and a stress fracture. I am so worried about her and feel terrible. I know the guilty feelings as a mom when you let an injury go unchecked.
Another team mate has an inflammation in the L5 joint.....she also is in a brace and may do conditioning. As for the more severe case, I will keep hoping she can come back to gymnastics, but I think grade 2 is enough to look for other sports.....As for my DD I think she is fine but we always worry about some injury right!!?!??

 

[Scotsgirl]

As soon as my dd complained of back pain we took her to the doctors , he agreed we should go down the sports physio route after ruling out a fracture , she has hyper mobility in her back and her back was compensating for her not having flexible shoulders . No back skills for 6 weeks and exercises to help strengthen her back . All seems well for now , fingers crossed . I do not think it can do any harm to have kids checked out .

 

[duyetanh]

OMG...
So sorry girls are going through this at your gym, and I too would be freaked.

 

[shelovestoflip]

My daughter had a stress fracture in her L5 and was in a hard brace for 4 months. During this time she could condition and then about 8 weeks in she was able to do some jumps etc (it was a while ago, I forget the details!)

When she was out of the hard brace, she then moved to a flexible brace for practice. I think this was about 6 weeks.

She is now level 10 so it didn't stop her

Trust what they say about their bodies. And what they don't say. My daughter tells me about every pain that isn't the 'normal' pain but there are girls in her gym who don't and then injuries can go too long.

Also, with any injury, follow the dr orders. My daughter did and I thnk it's why she is still in the sport/in good shape. THose that don't end up re injured. And that can be worse.

 

[munchkin3]

Yes- this is my second gymmie and there were some mistakes I would not repeat. I was much more naive the first time around, not taking things seriously.
What I find so difficult is talking to newer parents who are sending their kids in to practice with fractured toes, and back pain etc...some are unwilling to take advice. I try to only give advice where it is welcome, as I do not want to preach.
I was just explaining to a parent that after L7, it isn't really about 'winning' as in level 3,4 or 5. It's surviving. It's personal milestones, it's mental training.....hopefully if all of this is done with the correct focus and determination, winning happens.
By focusing on winning too much (as a parent) then the stress and energy comes out differently. When parents focus on the winning, they go to great lengths, or may even allow more risk for their kids.

Nothing. Not gymnastics is worth a kids adult health.......

 

[gymmutti]

Both of my girls have had back pain. YDD was limited to no extensions for 6-8 weeks and in PT. This happened during L5 when the BWO on beam started being done quite a bit. ODD is currently coming back from stress reactions on both sides of her L4. Back brace for 3 months and lots and lots of PT to retrain muscles. Her issues were around relying almost exclusively on lower back rather than engaging hips and core. We are hoping she'll be back to training for L9 at 100% 6-7 months after diagnosis (and this was a reaction, not a full stress fracture). Definitely take back pain seriously. If your DD starts feeling pain for longer than 2 weeks, I would get it looked at - especially if it seems to be worsening.