Wrist pain?

[Jessleemom]

My 9 year old level 3 came home from practice tonight complaining of wrist pain. She said she was unable to tumble in class. That when her hands hit the floor her left wrist hurt and a tingling went up her arm. This started at last practice apparently but was worse today. Would you rush to the doctor to get it checked out or give it a few more days and see what happens? Her coach told her only trampoline at home, no tumbling, handstands, etc. Her very first competition is in 2 weeks. Maybe I should reach out to coach? So new to all this....

 

[ldw4mlo]

I would go to the doctor. I would google rice bucket exercises to strengthen wrists. And I would get Tiger Paws.

 

[Flippin'A]

Go to the doctor. Her coach isn't qualified to give out medical advice. Once you know it's nothing serious there are lots of ways to strengthen wrists for the future and your coach or a physical therapist might be able to help with that.

 

[Jessleemom]

Thanks! I just wasn't sure if one or two days of pain was worth a doc visit or if we should give it more time. The tingling up the arm thing kind of freaks me out though. I'll call her doc on Monday.

 

[Jessleemom]

So...took her to the doc today and he said he thinks its a sprain caused by overuse. Stay off it as much as possible for 7-10 days. Basically if it hurts don't do it. Ice after activity. Stretch 4 times a day. Heat twice a day. I took her to practice tonight figuring she could do other things. Work on choreography, stretch, strength, etc. I show up to pick her up and her wrist is taped and she's on bars. Her coach taped it up and had her doing everything. Not sure what to think at this point....

 

[AV24]

I would tell the coach that if he can't follow doctor's orders then she won't be going to practice until she's fully healed. You have to be able to trust that the coaches will do what's in her best interest, and that means following medical advice fully. Did you explicitly tell coach what the doctor said, or did you leave it up to your daughter to relay that message? There might be some miscommunication - meaning, if the dr said don't do it if it hurts, but she isn't complaining of pain, then the coach thinks she can do it. I would make sure the coach fully understands, and then if she still isn't allowed modifications I would pull her from practice.

 

[ldw4mlo]

I would have a huge problem with the coach.

And I again suggest, rice bucket exercise when healed and tiger paws

 

[rjb123]

Did they x Ray it? Also I would take the note from the doc into the gym and hand it to the coach. Be very clear about what is allowed and that you expect that the doctors instructions are followed.

 

[Carabistouille]

So...took her to the doc today and he said he thinks its a sprain caused by overuse. Stay off it as much as possible for 7-10 days. Basically if it hurts don't do it. Ice after activity. Stretch 4 times a day. Heat twice a day. I took her to practice tonight figuring she could do other things. Work on choreography, stretch, strength, etc. I show up to pick her up and her wrist is taped and she's on bars. Her coach taped it up and had her doing everything. Not sure what to think at this point....

I also would have a huge problem with the coach having her work on it but to be fair, it could be a misunderstanding if you let your daughter handle the communication or even if you told the coach exactly what you told us (see the bolded parts in your message... I guess it could have been understood as "take it easy" and not as "don't do anything wrist related").
Anyway I would go to the coach and clear things up. Also tell your daughter very clearly that she is not supposed to do anything on her wrists. And monitor the situation closely if you feel there is a risk your instruction are not being followed.

Taking time off is frustrating because it feels like you are wasting time but thinking long term, you really are not.

Also, I'm not quite sure what a "sprain caused by overuse" is supposed to be...

 

[coachp]

Don't mess with wrists and ankles. Too many tiny bones that can be mis aligned etc... always X-ray if pain persists . oh good only a sprain. It's always difficult to gauge a sprain, scratch the first meet obviously .

 

[Flipfloppy]

I show up to pick her up and her wrist is taped and she's on bars. Her coach taped it up and had her doing everything. Not sure what to think at this point....

Huge red flag. Check to ensure that the coach understood that the doctor ordered wrist rest; if you clearly communicated that to the coach and the coach taped the wrist and had her working against doctor's orders, talk to the owner/head coach. Depending on their responses, if it's not adequately handled, time to find a new gym.

 

[Letstalkgymnastics]

Could be just miscommunication with the coach. Talk to coach first. Also, clarify with Dr. as to what “take it easy means” Tumbling on the floor has a greater impact on the wrists then swinging the bars, so maybe she’s ok. Get clarification. I’m going to have to disagree with the tiger paws though. Unless your daughter had a bad wrist injury, don’t start tiger paws this early. At level 2, you have a long way to go and need to biild up strong wrists. Don’t use tiger paws as a crutch until you have to.

 

[Jessleemom]

I would like to chalk it up to miscommunication but I just don't know. She's been continuing to tape it and workout under her coach's direction. She did compete in her first meet yesterday and she taped it for that too. Coach told her that's the last time she can tape it up.

But my daughter says it still hurts. It's a little better but not all the way. So....I'm going to talk to coach tomorrow and let her know we really do need to take it easy or do something differently to help her get better. We're probably also gonna head back to the doc for an xray just to be sure. She's a tough kid and I'd hate for her to keep working out if she's really hurt.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I'm confused. If my kid or her coach (whichever) decided to ignore what a doctor had said she needed to do to heal an injury, she'd be staying home until fully cleared. And this has been going on for two WEEKS? After you came to get her and she was taped and practicing, did you go speak to the coach and tell her she needed to stay off it? Kids can not be trusted to handle that on their own. Especially kids who are young and motivated and only care that they could miss a meet - when pushing through an injury means they could be out for a season, or cause permanent damage their body. You keep putting this on her coach, but if I am reading correctly, you haven't communicated with the gym at all?

 

[Jessleemom]

I came here for advice. I'm not trying to blame it on the coach. My daughter literally joined the team two months ago and I have no idea what is to be expected or how to handle these things. I just came back and read everyone's responses and I'm trying to explain what the current situation is.

When my daughter says it hurts, it's hard to tell how much. She keeps doing stuff she's not supposed to do (in the gym and out of the gym, at school, playing with her friends, etc). And honestly she's only really complained at one practice. I'm inclined to believe its not really bothering her that much and coach seems to think the same thing.

However, I'm not in her body so I'm taking her back to the doc for xrays and for further information.

I guess the reason I'm mad or disgruntled is that I've initiated conversation with the coach a couple times about this. But she's not reaching back out. Just saying things to my gymnast like, "this is the last time you can tape it up." Talk to me about that before telling her that, you know?

Sorry if I came off as blaming or rude. I just honestly don't know how to handle it

 

[Eleven sol]

Have the doctor write out the instructions and then give it to the coach. That way it’s clear.

 

[Jessleemom]

Have the doctor write out the instructions and then give it to the coach. That way it’s clear.

Have the doctor write out the instructions and then give it to the coach. That way it’s clear.

Thank you! This is helpful!

 

[Jessleemom]

I swear I'm not normally like this but I'm also scared of making the coach mad. We kind of talked our way into a JO program that operates in a very specific way. Kids typically spend several years in preteam. Everyone knows everyone else. They've all been friends for years.

I already feel like we're out of place. And I'm trying not to rock the boat while also trying to keep my daughter healthy and safe. It's a weird situation and I'm not normally timid but for some reason I feel very intimidated by all of it.

So bringing in the actual note seems like a good way to be non-confrontational but also get the point across.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I know it it hard to be in that position, but you can't let it get in the way of your daughter's physical health. I also have a not-overly-descriptive 10 year old and I know how hard it can be to get a sense of how much they're hurting and in what way. So my policy (and that of her gym) is to err on the side of caution - if it hurts, don't do it. I'm not sure that that rule works the same way in levels 8-10, but it certainly does in the rest of them. She needed to rest her wrist and didn't, so it's still hurt. If she actually takes the time off she needs, it will probably improve rapidly.

I would be pissed that the coach would not talk about the injury with you. That seems so strange.

 

[ldw4mlo]

Use a pain chart. You can google them. Have her describe using the chart. When she practices, regular movement, at rest. Log for doctor.

And again, when healed, rice bucket exercise and tiger paws