WAG Conditioning While Injured - Tips or Links

[tntva2]

I'm new here and actually found this site when searching for broken arm and gymnastics. It's been great to read the stories about kids coming back strong and motivated from injuries. My DD broke her humerus bone right above the elbow. She is 8 years old, level 5. She had surgery, pins placed, and has been full arm casted for 3 weeks. She has been to every practice but with strict doctors instructions for no exercise due to sweating under the cast and pin movement (they protrude about a 1/2 inch through the skin). So it's been alot of watching, walking through the floor routine and being frustrated. Cast comes off and pins come out soon with additional instructions of "no real activities for the first month otherthan working on gentle range of motion." While I realize that means no weight bearing arm activities, I am hoping we will get the ok for at least conditioning. Does anyone have any programs, videos, links, etc. to a conditioning program that is broken arm suitable. I assume lower body and abs are the focus. I want to have her start working on some things at home on her mat slowly and then in the gym. She is hoping to compete in January. I told her not to get her hopes up and that we are taking it one day at a time, but I am sure parents of gymnastics know how hard that is to tell your kid.

Thanks.

 

[dmytv]

You need to talk to her doctor and her coach. There should be clear communication so that the coach knows exactly what she can and can't do. With that being said it is still a good idea to go to the gym, if nothing else, it keeps the place a habit and will help eith recovery.

 

[profmom]

Yes on talking to the doc and the coach, but some docs don't necessarily know much about the sport. Coaches at gyms with teams of any appreciable size, however, will undoubtedly have dealt with this sort of thing before and probably have seventeen modified workout plans for seventeen different common injuries right there in their back pockets. ("Ah, Sever's? OK, do leg lifts on bars, then hollow rocks, then go work on your scale!")

Arms are harder in my impression because bars aren't an option. Girls in our gym with significant leg injuries always ended up rocking bars during the following season. But there's still a lot that can be done. Even before she's out of the cast, she can do wall sits. Lots of core exercises don't require any weight bearing at all, and I don't think any gymnast can ever have too strong a core! Her coaches will probably have a lot of good ideas here. Once the arm starts to regain mobility, she can work on bridges again over one of those cylinder mats. My DD eventually started doing one-arm pushups. Once the cast is off, working on leaps and jumps is great.

Also don't forget PT exercises. My DD did a lot of reps of her hand exercises while her teammates were tumbling. If a PT can provide you with some mobility exercises that use very light weights once she has some range of motion, that can be a regular thing at the gym.

One other thing -- for a while, don't plan on having her go for the full practice time. A few hours is probably enough, because there's only so much conditioning they can do before they get bored and frustrated and start fretting about how their teammates are acquiring skills they can't work on. Keep it positive!

 

[BlairBob]

One other thing -- for a while, don't plan on having her go for the full practice time. A few hours is probably enough, because there's only so much conditioning they can do before they get bored and frustrated and start fretting about how their teammates are acquiring skills they can't work on. Keep it positive!

While one of our girls couldn't use one of her arms earlier this year, I had her do lots of one arm stuff:

1 arm straddle L hold & presses (mostly spotted as the joke was we'd start training in it and in 5 years she would get her own beam element or get to the circus), 1 arm hanging leg lifts (starting off with a slanted board leaned on the stall bars), 1 arm pushups, 1 arm row/pullups.

If she got the ok to exercise, she wrap theraband/weight bands around her wrists and do lots of ring like exercises. Up and down, flies, circles, etc.

 

[gym law mom]

The gym is not the place to do any rehab for the arm until she's directed on exercises by a physical therapist. Get specific directions from the doctor on what she can do once the pins come out. Ask about some light jogging, riding an exercycle and lower body strength.

 

[tntva2]

Thanks for the responses.

 

[2gymmies]

Don't hold your breath on the meet in January. We had a girl at our gym break her elbow the week of July 4th this summer and she is still not allowed to do everything. I guess roundoffs are the last to be allowed and she has like 3 weeks until she can do them (I think I more week until she can hold a handstand and she just started back handsprings like last week like only 5 or 10 a day on tramp). I think it will be about 4 months from the injury for her before she is released from the dr and therapy to start training 100%. I think maybe instead of making the January meet a goal right now, wait until the pins come out and then make goals like full range of motion, and then some strength goals (maybe a rope climb?). The skills will come back once the strength and motion do. Good luck and be patient!