WAG Something always hurts

[Daphne Banks]

Ugh! Last night it was wrist pain preventing beam work. Last month it was Severs pain calling for a move to tumble track from floor and vault. I feel like something is always bugging DD preventing her from having good, complete practices. She is a 12 YO second year level 8. Is this normal? She has had her share of real injuries, which I understand.

What I don't understand as much is a 12 year old's body seeming to not be able to handle the daily stress of gym. Is this just something they all work through? Maybe she's just not tough? Maybe the stuff they do at Level 8 makes every little pain noticeable? Maybe she's balking? I just don't know and it drives me bonkers. Apologies that I sound like an unsympathetic B*&^* to my daughter who says she is feeling pain. Just putting how I feel out there!

 

[2G1B]

My DD had a lot of severs pain between 12 and 14 year old and now it seems to no longer be an issue, but suddenly her wrist is an issue. I know that at least for my DD, she has grown a lot during this time and I assume that has something to do with the pain. For us, she just backs off when things hurt. It might mean her missing her first meet of the season if her wrist doesn't get better soon, but I have learned to just go with it. I know that DD WANTS to be doing all events so I have to assume that it really does hurt even if the doctor hasn't figured out the "why" yet.

 

[skschlag]

My son says "Everything always hurts". I think I am getting him the shirt for Christmas that says "Everything hurts and I'm dying".

But, joking aside, he spend a lot of time doing things to prevent aches. He rolls, he uses creams as needed. He stretches a lot and does a lot of prehab. He takes epsom salt baths and salt baths.

Good luck to her!!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Heh. Yes, if the kid is a little bit unlucky, sure.
My DD is 14 and a second year L8. Currently, she has been in a knee brace (growth/hormone related pain, quad tendinitis and kneecap tracking incorrectly) for the past 7-8mo. She is also in a boot for a bone bruise to her first metatarsal (coming off a bar handstand onto a block).
So far, she has had several bouts of Severs, resulting in usually a few months off high impact (=running, floor tumbling and VAULT) at a time, plus at least 2yrs worth of Osgood Schlatters (sp?) with again, high impact being limited for a couple of months here and there. Wearing knee bands off and on, cheetah cups off an on etc.
Wrist pain has been a pretty constant factor since L5, DD likes to pound on her wrists during BHS on beam... several bouts of inflamed sprains there.
Add in a few sprained ankles etc...
I hear you.
I would love for DD to have a few months of complete, no restrictions whatsoever practices. I am hoping for it to happen once this knee and toe heals...!
I too am a “mean mom”. I also coach, so I am firmly in the “suck it up buttercup “ camp. It is really hard to balance between giving the appropriate time to heal and build strength vs get back to practicing come hell or high water..!
I hope your DD has only limited time with pain and is able to get back to practicing 100% soon!!!

 

[kecks]

the amount of hours in gymnastics are very intense, the sport involves a lot of pounding, and this will mean there is pain. all the time even when your kid is not injured as such. bad pain from overuse, not the good pain from "working hard and doing one more rep". it is not healthy to do so much sport. no competitive sport that requires so many hours so young is really healthy at this level (recreational is another story). there will be wear and tear, even at such a young age and that hurts especially during growth periods. it is still worth it imo but sugarcoating the reality of the health impact of competitive sports for kids or adults alike is not helpful. prevent as much as possible by not overdoing it (for a track coach all the plyometric work without shoes in gymnastics makes us cringe) and training hard and smart. more is not always better, numbers are not everything, and some bodies are just not meant to do some sports.

 

[Muddlethru]

It is hard to tell if the alleged pain is real pain from an injury (acute or chronic), an excuse, soreness, etc. We hope we don't dismiss the pain that needs to be treated professionally. I think gymnastics is really hard on the body no matter the age, particularly when you hit Levels 9 and 10. As the gymnast gets older and has had so many different kinds of pain and injuries (unfortunately it seems to come with the sport), they should be able to tell the difference between soreness and pain felt because of an injury. They should be able to work through soreness and should not work through an injury. Perhaps you can ask your daughter to describe the pain, dull, sharp, pulling, etc. If it is chronic soreness like wrist pain, some kids use wrist guards to provide support. Athletes are not all built the same. Some have certain weaknesses in their body that perhaps need extra support.

 

[sce]

All you had to say was "something always hurts, and "12yo girl". Totally normal, frustrating yes, but normal. Growth, puberty etc, make this spirit rough on the body at that age. it is a balance of learning their bodies too. What is a work through it pain, vs a concerning pain.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

What I don't understand as much is a 12 year old's body seeming to not be able to handle the daily stress of gym. Is this just something they all work through? Maybe she's just not tough? Maybe the stuff they do at Level 8 makes every little pain noticeable? Maybe she's balking? I just don't know and it drives me bonkers. Apologies that I sound like an unsympathetic B*&^* to my daughter who says she is feeling pain. Just putting how I feel out there!

So how did you deal with all those skills, including the mental toughness needed to do gymnastics at at that age.

Me, I never got that far. My kid, currently coming off an injury, (hopefully) L8 season.

To answer your question, How to I deal.... I don't, I don't do gymnastics. My kid, she deals how she deals. Me I'm her soft place to fall

 

[coachmolly]

I think the age has a lot to do with it. I coach mostly 10-13 year olds and it seems like there is a new ache/pain/minor injury every single day. Wrists, ankles/heels, and knees are the most common. We take it easy for a few days, then try again, then back off again if the pain is still there. We focus on the good days and muddle through the ones where they really cannot seem to do much of anything at all. It's frustrating for everyone when they get stuck conditioning instead of preparing for meets with their teammates.
For some of the kids, I do think it's that they don't tolerate pain as well as their teammates and things like sore muscles or minor aches hold them back much more than they would another kid. For other kids, I know for them to mention pain at all means they are really hurting.