WAG Back Injury

[ariestchr]

I need success stories to stay positive...
Anyone with a gymnast that has come back from a stress fractured back?
My daughter has been injured for four months with no end in sight.
Any suggestions to accelerate healing?

Level 9- 14 year old who wants to start training- PAIN FREE
Help us keep going!!!

Thanks, Kim

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

Don't worry, your not the first, nor will you be the last! I had mine two years ago, in sixth grade. Please, don't try doing a bridge just because you feel like it, or you will end up like me: still back problems Don't worry, I'm full training and have been for awhile.
To accelerate healing, all I can say is don't go past your limitations. If your back is really hurting a lot, just give yourself a little rest, you could make it worse.
Don't worry, it will get better, and you'll be back in the gym, pain-free before you know it!

 

[GymBee97]

Not suggesting any course of treatment just sharing my DD's back saga and what we experienced with the treatment we tried.

Well DD had back issues in Feb. x-rays, MRI suggested possible stress fractures or severe bone brusing on 2 of the lower back discs. No gym from Feb - begin of Apr for it to heal. PT done 3 x's a week she then said she felt better did sectionals and states. new MRI said it was healing nicely and not to push her self if it hurts don't do it.

Went through June and July ok but Aug pain came back so back to the DR in Oct or somewhere in that range (that was when DD told me she was having pain again) Did one Chiropractor treatment and was told she was so out of alignment and her rib cage was skued to the left which caused the muscles to always be pulling. After treatment she was feeling great (lots of snap,crackle and Pop going on.

then they did the ARP therapy on her (very painful and expensive but she did great with it)Absolutly no Gymnastics or any physical activity at all during this treatement which was over the course of 2 weeks, after 10 treatments along with Chiropractor she was pain free. Lasted 2 weeks then she had a big fall and in pain again back and Knee so back to chiro he adjusted her and 3 treatments of ARP on back and KNEE and she has been pain free again for about 3 weeks doing big skills and a few falls. We go back again mid Jan to check to see if pain is still gone. So far so good.

I have to say I was leary of this especially the ARP treatment (stands for Accelerated Recovery Preformance), but after several gymnasts came back from some severe injuries really quickly I figured it couldn't hurt to try it since the PT really wasn't doing a thing. We are talking stress fractures in back, legs, ankle injuries to muscles and bone and the ARP seems to have made the recovery go faster.

So far it seems to have worked wonders. I would do it again for daughter if she complains of pain before I would do the PT. It took a shorter time and the pain free seemed to have lasted up until that bad fall a few weeks back but after a re-visit she is now still pain free. Not saying this is what you should do but it couldn't hurt to look into it. If you do decide to go the Chiropractic route look for one that is a "whole body" Chiropractor (not easy to find) instead of one that just looks at backs.

 

[ariestchr]

Thanks, I will look into ARP. Did your daughter wear a back brace for the first three months? Mine did not and I think it cost her some time. I am glad to hear there is hope... Other stories are appreciated!
Thanks, Kim

 

[gym law mom]

What is her doctor saying? Just remember that no 2 people respond the same and injuries are different.

 

[GymBee97]

Thanks, I will look into ARP. Did your daughter wear a back brace for the first three months? Mine did not and I think it cost her some time. I am glad to hear there is hope... Other stories are appreciated!
Thanks, Kim

No she didn't wear the brace. She would have for the summer if there wasn't an improvement by the end of April. After follow up tests in April - May they said all was healing and just to take it easy in the gym - if it hurt she was to stop. You know these gymnasts they try not to stop for anything so keeping her to that was hard.

 

[GymBee97]

What is her doctor saying? Just remember that no 2 people respond the same and injuries are different.

you know my DD's DR doesn't believe in Chiropractor treatments at all for anyone so her advise was not to go but the PT she had prescribed just wasn't doing anything for DD at all. So after some long hard thinking and research I went against DR wishes we tried it and I'm glad we did. I think too after this I need a DR for DD who is a little more open minded to alternative medicines and treatments. If I hadn't seen so many injured gymnasts already get the treatment and have better than great results I might not have tried it. But with that said everyone has to choose for themselves what they are going to do for their own kids.

 

[ariestchr]

What is her doctor saying? Just remember that no 2 people respond the same and injuries are different.

Doctor said wear a brace if you are in extreme pain, but you may lose muscle tone. Stay off it for 3 months, and don't do anything that causes pain. It has gotten better with rest, but just for day to day activities. She isn't even close to going back to tumbling.

 

[gym law mom]

Is she in PT? Has she seen the doctor in the last month or so? I would make another appointment and sit down and discuss her rehab with the doctor. The standard rehab for stress fractures in the back is to work hard on core strength, but treatment will vary depending on where the fracture is, how many etc. If the doctor that diagnosed her isn't giving you answers, push to get a 2nd opinion from a spine specialist.

 

[ariestchr]

Thanks! She is in PT and does her exercises at gymnastics too... Might be a good idea to see a spine specialist. My daughter had xrays at the end of August that were not conclusive. She has been treated for a stress fracture, but we have no clue where or how bad. A few weeks ago, the doctor told our PT she wanted to see us in three months if she isn't better.... Mid March. We are looking into all our options at this point. Last year it was a 8 month wrist injury, so it has been frustrating! I just want to hear success stories from others..... Happy New Year!

 

[gym law mom]

X-rays are not the best diagnostic tool. The most conclusive test is a bone scan. Talk with her PT--many times they can recommend a good doc to see for your dd.

 

[shelovestoflip]

My daughter had a stress fracture and was in a brace for 4 months. After that, she wore a different, softer brace only for training, not the rest of the day.

Her initial diagnosis was made after an MRI. Subsequently, she had a CT scan to see if it had healed. It had, thankfully.

Her orthopedist is excellent and perhaps a bit conservative. However I credit the fact that she wore the brace 24/7 for the fact that she is 100% recovered. During the time she was in the brace, she also went to PT weekly and did the PT exercises at home.

I was told xrays don't always show a stress fracture in backs so you may want to ask for an MRI or CT scan. The initial MRI essentially showed swelling and the subsequent CT scan showed where it had healed.

If your daughter is still in pain after all the time, I would try to get either a second opinion or at least a different scan. While my daughter was not happy about being in a brace for so long, she is now pain free and fully back at practice for over a year now. It's worth the inital 'unhappiness' about the brace if it means being fully healed dwon the road, I think.

Good luck.

 

[ariestchr]

Yeah! A success story!!! Thanks for posting.... I appreciate it! Kim