WAG Is there enough time to compete after being restricted?

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DND

Proud Parent
DD went to the doctors Wednesday and after taking a new Xray she was okayed to remove the boot (growth plate fracture) and start back. Main thing to to let pain be her guide.

She is registered to compete in Montreal March 8th and I am not sure if this will be too soon. She told me Friday that one of the two head coaches said she did not think she would be ready, but her husband the other coach does.

I think it would be great for her to go and get experience in front of the judges as she has only done one real meet ever. I also think it would be a lot of fun for her as it is an out of town meet with the hotel and staying with teammates etc. If she does not compete then her next meet is provincials for a spot on the team going to Westerns.

On the other hand I in no way want to have her injured as she has had enough of that this year.

In her events she would have to do the following:

Bars - Kip cast to handstand/3 giants/layout flyway dismount

Vault - Front Handspring on to stacked mats & 1/2 on onto stacked matts

Beam - Press handstand mount/BWO-BHS connection/ 1/2 jump turn / FWO / split leap split jump conx/full turn/ switch leap and RO/BT dismount

Floor - three passes - RO/BHS/LO 1/2 - FHS/FT - FT SO RO BHS BT
- front and side aerials
- full turn leaps misc

I am just not sure if this is pushing it or not. We have had many conversations about dealing with not going in case she got pulled, about the experience and understanding her limitations and expectations if she does go with limited training etc. and I think mentally she is in a good place and gets all of this.

So what do you think is the best way to go? :confused::confused:
 
Like the DR said let her pain guide her. Some kids heal quick some slowly. It's only one meet out of so many that she will do I say never push it after an injury. Maybe she could do one or two events without pain like my DD is doing.
 
Like the DR said let her pain guide her. Some kids heal quick some slowly. It's only one meet out of so many that she will do I say never push it after an injury. Maybe she could do one or two events without pain like my DD is doing.

My biggest fear is that she will try to discount her pain in order to be able to go.
 
You're right about the possibility of her marginalizing the pain, and that could end badly.....even worse when it's on the road.
Talk to the Dr..... Is the fracture completely healed, or is it just on the mend and far enough along to justify sensible activities on a "as pain allows" basis.

How long was she in the boot? You can't recover strength nearly as fast as you can loose it. If she's been in the boot too long, her recovery is going to be more than just dusting off the skills you listed. She's going to have to strengthen her leg from top to bottom.....mostly the bottom.....and get used to pushing for take-offs and resisting on landings.

Be careful!!
 
Well the X-ray never showed and all of it was based on swelling and bruising.

Her statement was come back in a couple of weeks unless she is jumping etc then cancel.

I have told dd to be honest as it will only send her way further backwards. She has been able to walk without boot for over a week but I made her keep it on per doctors orders. She was allowed to take it of for training/conditioning that she was doing and her Physio/strengthening exercises.
 
My dd is the type of kid who would deny pain. She had a boot on for 5th metatarsal fracture for 4 weeks during her level 8 season, and then it was 6 more weeks before coaches would allow her to compete. She trained what she could (limited weight bearing) during then 6 wks, didn't vault till the last week.

Slow and steady.....
 
How long was she in the boot? The longer is was, the longer it will take to regain the strength and flexibility. Keep going to physio of you can to speed the process. If she was in for 4 wks (the average for a growth plate fracture), then you can expect at least 4 wks before she is tumbling well again - often times longer.
 
She was in the boot about three weeks, but during physio and training was okayed to remove it to do strengthening exercises so the surrounding area would not go to sleep was how they put it. Her meet would be her being out of boot for 2 weeks and who knows how much "full" training. From what I have seen they let her do some tramp work, she has done some vault runs only no punching and some passes on the rod floor. Otherwise lots and lots of her exercises and bars.
 
The big difference here is that we do not have many meets - five for the year if you make it through Provincials to Westerns. So with her missing the last weekend meet and if will don't do this meet in Montreal she heads off to Provincials with only one meet under her belt and it was in her home club. I would think the experience of competing in a different gym on different apparatus would be quite big.

I guess I wonder if it is better to even water down her routines if need be just to let her experience the "nerves" side of things and not worry about how she does skill wise.
 
As hard as it may be right now, I would say skip the meet. She's obviously talented (and still young), and in the grand scheme of things, this year of competitive experience is not going to make or break her gymnastics career. However, further injury could mean not competing for the rest of the year and could set back her summer training in preparation for next year as well. Since there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer, even among the coaches, in my opinion, it's always better to err on the side of caution. Give it time to make sure it's completely healed now so the injury doesn't come back to haunt her later. She'll have plenty of time for competitive experience later. In my opinion, at this age, her time spent learning in the gym is far more valuable than her competitive experience anyway :)
 
I personally don't think any doctor should say to a gymnast, "let pain be your guide." Gymnasts are used to working through pain all the time. I think expecting them to differentiate between "sore pain" and "something is wrong" pain is not realistic, especially when they really want to be competition ready!
 
I personally don't think any doctor should say to a gymnast, "let pain be your guide." Gymnasts are used to working through pain all the time. I think expecting them to differentiate between "sore pain" and "something is wrong" pain is not realistic, especially when they really want to be competition ready!
I agree, seems kind of silly to me. These kids are too young and too dedicated to what they do to really understand what the doctors are asking and to speak up.
As far as your DD Margg, I would say just let the coaches guide the way and see how your DD's body responds to it all and go from there. I don't think there is a point in pulling her from a meet 2 weeks away at this point, because some kids bounce back quickly and there is always a chance she could compete at least 1 routine for experience. But I also don't think she should have the expectation that she WILL compete 4 events at that meet. Keep expectations low, but allow that door to stay open in case everything falls into place.
 
I personally don't think any doctor should say to a gymnast, "let pain be your guide." Gymnasts are used to working through pain all the time. I think expecting them to differentiate between "sore pain" and "something is wrong" pain is not realistic, especially when they really want to be competition ready!
The "let pain be your guide" like statement from DD's ortho was "you're not fully back until you have full range of motion without pain". There was little guidance on how much and when exercises could resume, but it was indicated that she should be able to gradually reintroduce exercises at the gym. She's been at practice and the coaches seem to know what they're doing in regards to post cast management.

Every day is a little better than the last, and the last few days, I've been thinking tomorrow will be the day. It's close, but not there yet. I'd say that if you have a few weeks, then you have plenty of time to see how it goes.
 
I had a growth plate fracture in my wrist. I think two weeks is a short period of time. In fact, I had to do about 2 months of physical therapy, after about 6 weeks of immobilization. At our end of year show, in the beginning of june, I just started to do roundoff backhandpsring again. I broke my wrist at the beginning of April.

Your daughter needs to understand that with this kind of injury, you should not train with pain. It may take longer, but it is important to let her ankle recover and get back in shape gradually. Maybe if she can compete, she could still travel with her teammates?


p.s: My growth plate fracture also didn't show on the x-ray. The orthopedist found it because there was too much space between two bones on the x-ray. I also had a huge bruise 2 weeks later.
 
If she wants to go let her is what I would say the skills sound like she is a level seven or eight? So she should know pain by now and she should know to tell you when it hurts
 
If she wants to go let her is what I would say the skills sound like she is a level seven or eight? So she should know pain by now and she should know to tell you when it hurts


Hmmm my gymmie would rather compete/train with pain than tell someone who might make her miss practice or a meet!

I tried to correct my post above, couldn't find the "edit' button.. DD had boot for 4 weeks, then 4 more weeks to first meet (not 6)... it was 6 meets till States.
 
My Dd never complains about pain for fear that someone may tell her she can't compete. Two examples, back in the early fall she broke her hand in 4 places. It was 2 times it's normal size, purple etc. At the Ortho he said "oh my that hand must be killing you" her repsonse was "No, it doesn't hurt at all, I will be fine, I don't need a cast"

This past Saturday she slammed her finger in the car door as she was heading into practice. (I wasn't there) she wrapped it up and forged ahead. Today is Tuesday and the darn finger is still bleeding (breaks open everytime she moves it) and a VERY dark purple. She went and did a full practice last night...Why, because she has a meet on Friday and she doesn't want to have to scratch. (the finger isn't broken, just badly bruised)

My point, most gymnast will "cover" up the pain so telling them to let their pain guide them is probably not the best option.

I hope that you daughter is feeliing better :)
 
UPDATE:

Well DD made it to Gymnix and was able to compete in all 4 events! It was awesome!!

You could tell landings were tender and not as clean as I have seen, but I can't believe how well she did.

She came 4th on vault, 6th on floor and 2nd on bars and beam was 13th as she feel on her connection. All around 5th place!

I was so happy, excited and through the moon and I hope she is too! We don't get to see them as they are with the team and the coaches prefer them to stay contained so other than blowing her a kiss and mouthing I love you in passing I can only hope she is as happy and proud as I am.

We are going to watch the International Event finals today and maybe I will be able to have a little chat with her.

Thanks to everyone for all you advise and support as other than gym parents I don't think anyone else really gets the highs, lows and dedication this sport requires.

:applause:
 
I'm delighted your dd had a good meet. I can imagine you're anxiety while watching from the stands.

Having gone through the sport from bottom to top, the bottom more so, I have an intimate relationship with "as pain allows". While there are exceptions, it can generally be used with a doctor's blessing as a guide when determining how early and how hard to train after a diagnosis.The processes of feeling the pain and reacting to it worked well for me during 3 years of training with tendonitis, bursitis, and an unstable shoulder, all preceded by a non displaced shoulder separation x2 that was diagnosed way after it happened, but not determined as related to the other maladies.

I was much older than today's typical gymnasts during those years, and feel that was part of the reason I was able to "make it work" and hence be able to make it work for the children I trained. So I think it can work for a child who's under the care of a doctor while training with an experienced coach who can tell when a kid's pain is affecting their training, recovery, and long term health.

Whoooooaaaa, you say? There's no way you would ever allow your Suzie to kip with a sore elbow and risk permanent damage...... that will keep her from enjoying a full and productive life. I guess my response would be a reflection of my experiences which left me fully able to this day, on the brink of retirement, to enjoy everyday activities beyond those of my peers. Permanent damage, sure but the work I put in those many years ago left me with a reserve of physical strength and health that remains to this day. So even though I've had brief periods of nuisance pain through those years, I feel enriched and better off for the course I took. So ladies, line up the older men in your life (c'mon, I can only shame most guys 45yo and up) for a friendly arm wresting match, as I feel I can hold my own despite old injuries.

Just to let you know it can work, but not for every kid in every situation.
 
IWC thanks for the interesting take. I agree that the key is having the right team in place to make sure your children are going to be okay. We took what the doctors said, did Physio and trusted our coaches to watch DD and determine what she would be capable of. The coach had said in a higher level this would not have worked out, but he knew she would be fine with limiting her workouts prior to the meet and letting her get the experience.

I am glad beam was last (it was the hardest on her foot) and I have to admit a wee bit of Baileys in the coffee to keep my anxiety and bay was helpful. She was not expecting anything as far as results so in the end it was a complete success.
The road ahead will be filled with many more of these highs and low moments, but in the end what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I am not sure if I will ever get to the point of not being nervous at meets, but there is always a wee shot and I know enough to stay away from her so it is not sensed or passed on.

It is her sport and I support her fully to enjoy every moment and take whatever path she chooses. And in moments of doubt I will come here and vent, question and get support from those that have BTDT.
 

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