WAG Devastating news for my daughter- L5 fracture

[gotfaith]

Hello! My daughter who is 14 and level 9 just found out Thursday she has stress fractures (pars defect) in her L5 disk with edema and swelling. She is restricted from all activity walking to far, bending, twisting, lifting anything over 10lb, putting shoes on etc. She will be fitted for a back brace Monday (oh man is she so mad about that). Timeline for healing is 4-6 weeks in brace, then 4-6 weeks PT then start back at gym about 25% and work up to going back 100% in the following 2 months, that is only if pain free and MRI comes back clean. As I am sure you all know how hard mentally this will be for a kid who has been going to gym 5 nights a week since she was 8. She doesn't have many other interests, she doesn't like art, books, school, etc.... I am racking my brain to find something for her to do with all this time. There is a possibility she can do some volunteer coaching but not much and NO conditioning at all. I am also worried about weight gain and depression. Does anyone have any grand ideas or has been through this or some other injury have any advice? Crazy how you never think it will be your child.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear all that! It must be very very hard.

Seems like she's not allowed to do anything physically active but that doesn't necessary mean she has to take a total break from gymnastics. Is she by any chance into photographing? She could still go to some of the practices and maybe photograph her teammates, learn to edit them etc. Maybe she could also do some videotaping? She could turn that into a nice montage of her team and I'm sure her teammates and coaches would love it.

The volunteering coaching sounds very nice too!

If she's an analytic kid she could also enjoy some of the coaching materials that are out there in the internet. You can learn so much by only watching something like Gymneo (http://www.gymneo.tv/) videos. They have break downs of several big skills and I think those would be super nice for an analytic kid to watch and learn the physics and mechanics behind the big skills she's learning!

Also there are some fun TV series and books about gymnastics and gym world to watch and read

Hope she heals fast and finds something nice to do during her time off. Encourage her to spend time with her school friends and do normal teenager stuff also.

 

[flipster]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully she had a few good meets, possibly States covered.

 

[OzZee]

Oh no poor thing. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

The video and photography idea is a great one , my 14 year old is having a lot of fun wth photoshop at the moment.
As is the watching coaching type videos.

What about music? Learn to play the guitar?
Whilst you said she isn't interested in art maybe ask again if she would be interested in a course irl or online.
Sewing? Cooking?

There are lots of online courses around , check out daily deals sites , maybe something will appeal. Could provide a good ongoing interest outside gym or even future career interest.

Good luck with the grumpy teenager with no energy outlet!

 

[txgymfan]

That's horrible sending prayers for quick healing. Can she use weights with her arms? Bicep curls? Grip putty stuff to keep up grip strength. The Olympics is coming this summer, she can watch that. I agree with photography. Maybe knitting? Sewing? Painting?

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

Yes, we went through this. My dd was younger when it happened, but was an extremely driven and intense gymnast. She was only 9 going into level 7, but she was completely devastated. She had to stay out of the gym for a full 4 months and they didn't know if she ever would do gymnastics again. I cannot lie-it was horrible at the time, especially since she had 2 other sisters who were in the gym almost daily and she had to come along for the ride most of the time. She cried a lot. She went to PT twice a week, but could also do nothing else. I just wanted to let you know that it ended up being a good learning experience. She went on to become a level 10 and it taught her a lot about patience, perseverance, and many life lessons for her future gymnastics career and about life. She is 21 today and looking back she still says that experience of adversity taught her a lot. I'm sorry your dd has to go through this. It is difficult, but I just wanted to give you some thoughts from someone who went through it with a dd and came out the other side. Good Luck!

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I have no advice but I'm just so sorry she is going through this! I can't imagine how disappointing this must be for her! Sending thoughts for safe and steady healing!

 

[gymgal]

So sorry to hear this. I like the idea of photography in the gym but make sure you get clearance because having her walk around the gym with different surfaces due to mats, spring floor, etc may not be good for her in the beginning. Can she walk on a treadmill, use a recumbent bike or swim? Maybe not the first month but after that, it would help to keep some muscle and endurance/cardio. Doesn't hurt to ask. But as many (especially coaches and PT's) have said before on CB, these injuries are especially difficult to heal completely if the dr orders for time off are not followed to the T, despite how extremely painful emotionally it will be for her and you.

 

[Gymmommy71]

I second the suggestion about learning to play an instrument. Piano, violin, guitar, etc.

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

But as many (especially coaches and PT's) have said before on CB, these injuries are especially difficult to heal completely if the dr orders for time off are not followed to the T, despite how extremely painful emotionally it will be for her and you
Yes, I should have added this to my prior post. We followed the Dr's orders 100% and kept my dd out of the gym the entire 4 months that was prescribed for her. We did exactly as the doctors and PT's asked of us and I believe this is why my dd healed completely with no recurring back issues again. Because of the PT she actually became a better gymnast after the injury because she had tended to be too archy before that and she learned better hollow shapes through PT. We watched many people with the same injury have recurring back issues throughout their careers who came back too early or did too much!

 

[LizzieLac]

So sorry to hear about this. My DD broke her tibia and fibula last year. She made it back. Happy to tell you about it. PM me, but the key was that she stayed connected to the gym and her teammates.

 

[Faolmor]

Could she maybe focus on making a video diary/vlog of her thoughts and experiences as a means of helping other gymnasts who might have to cope with extended time away from the gym?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I'm so sorry!!! I wish her a fast and complete recovery!
Is she into arts? My older DD spends every free moment (serious dancer so not much spare time) on her drawing tablet making graphic art. My gymmie loves drawing manga.
Photography would be great, as would musical instruments.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Very sorry to hear. No sugar for 2 months!!!! Can she swim????

 

[gotfaith]

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear all that! It must be very very hard.

Seems like she's not allowed to do anything physically active but that doesn't necessary mean she has to take a total break from gymnastics. Is she by any chance into photographing? She could still go to some of the practices and maybe photograph her teammates, learn to edit them etc. Maybe she could also do some videotaping? She could turn that into a nice montage of her team and I'm sure her teammates and coaches would love it.

The volunteering coaching sounds very nice too!

If she's an analytic kid she could also enjoy some of the coaching materials that are out there in the internet. You can learn so much by only watching something like Gymneo (http://www.gymneo.tv/) videos. They have break downs of several big skills and I think those would be super nice for an analytic kid to watch and learn the physics and mechanics behind the big skills she's learning!

Also there are some fun TV series and books about gymnastics and gym world to watch and read

Hope she heals fast and finds something nice to do during her time off. Encourage her to spend time with her school friends and do normal teenager stuff also.

Thank you so much for the ideas!!!

 

[gotfaith]

Could she maybe focus on making a video diary/vlog of her thoughts and experiences as a means of helping other gymnasts who might have to cope with extended time away from the gym?

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!! YES!!

 

[gotfaith]

Very sorry to hear. No sugar for 2 months!!!! Can she swim????

NO activity at all not even putting her shoes on :/ we are sugar free in our house already! Man am I thankful for that!

 

[gotfaith]

Yes, we went through this. My dd was younger when it happened, but was an extremely driven and intense gymnast. She was only 9 going into level 7, but she was completely devastated. She had to stay out of the gym for a full 4 months and they didn't know if she ever would do gymnastics again. I cannot lie-it was horrible at the time, especially since she had 2 other sisters who were in the gym almost daily and she had to come along for the ride most of the time. She cried a lot. She went to PT twice a week, but could also do nothing else. I just wanted to let you know that it ended up being a good learning experience. She went on to become a level 10 and it taught her a lot about patience, perseverance, and many life lessons for her future gymnastics career and about life. She is 21 today and looking back she still says that experience of adversity taught her a lot. I'm sorry your dd has to go through this. It is difficult, but I just wanted to give you some thoughts from someone who went through it with a dd and came out the other side. Good Luck!

Thank you so much for the words of wisdom! This is some hope for her! I feel so bad as a parent....I know she will come out stronger, its the getrting there part I am dreading!

 

[gotfaith]

But as many (especially coaches and PT's) have said before on CB, these injuries are especially difficult to heal completely if the dr orders for time off are not followed to the T, despite how extremely painful emotionally it will be for her and you
Yes, I should have added this to my prior post. We followed the Dr's orders 100% and kept my dd out of the gym the entire 4 months that was prescribed for her. We did exactly as the doctors and PT's asked of us and I believe this is why my dd healed completely with no recurring back issues again. Because of the PT she actually became a better gymnast after the injury because she had tended to be too archy before that and she learned better hollow shapes through PT. We watched many people with the same injury have recurring back issues throughout their careers who came back too early or did too much!

THANK YOU for the advice!

 

[txgymfan]

Have you seen the videos circulating lately of the girl who decorated her back brace to look like armor of sorts? It was super cute and went viral.