WAG Injury update

[magymmom]

Well we are almost there. Tomorrow morning dd gets her cast off from the fractured hand. i thought we would never make it this has been the longest 4 weeks ever. I will update tomorrow after we see the doc, last time they said a splint for a couple of weeks. Any experience here on what most docs will approve as far as skills after cast removal?

 

[LizzieLac]

Sorry, no experience with this. She may need to do some physical therapy before she is able to attempt any real skills. Wishing her good luck with it and speed getting back into her workouts!

 

[GymBeeMom]

Good luck to her as she gets back into the swing of things

 

[profmom]

Tell her not to expect an instant recovery. The hand will be stiff and inflexible at first. She'll almost certainly have to do some physical therapy to regain full mobility. A good therapist will give her a laundry list of exercises, and if she's been going to the gym and doing conditioning, she can add these exercises into the mix. It may start out really frustrating for her, but it will get better quickly, and gymnasts are super motivated to comply with PT regimes.

Once she's been in a splint for a little while and starts to regain mobility, she might be able to start doing more things at the gym, but you should be sure to ask the doc what is OK and what is not. Ask specifically about weight-bearing -- that was the key threshold for my daughter when she was recovering from her broken arm.

Good luck as she goes back. Keep the ice and ibuprofen ready! (Though, while we were warned to expect this, my daughter ended up not having any pain.) Hopefully she didn't have any nerve damage -- that takes a LOT longer.

 

[magymmom]

Well the news at the doctor was not good at all. They did remove the cast but the x-ray showed that she has not healed. She is now in a removable splint that she can take off at home when she is being still(ha when does that ever happen) but she is out for 4 more weeks. She is devastated and I do not know how we are going to make it through 4 more weeks of just conditioning at the gym.

 

[cbifoja]

I am SO sorry to hear this. How disappointing for your daughter......

 

[profmom]

Sorry to hear this. I meant to say something about keeping low expectations when going for the doctor's visit, but posted in haste this AM.

There will be no easy way to get through the next four weeks, but remind your daughter that she is halfway there and that she will get back into the gym. If she keeps conditioning, she will take a little while to get back to where she was, but both you and she will be amazed at how quickly she regains skills. Remind her that she worked hard to learn and earn those skills, and that while she is resting and healing, they are still there where it counts, up inside her head. They won't go away.

Hug her lots, and be sure you get a little time off here and there from being the emotional support person!

 

[kmaheu]

Really sorry to hear about this - I've been there before, too. Make sure she follows the doctor's orders, though. I kind of slacked in that area and I paid for it. As for returning to regular workouts, it takes a while. Since she has a hand injury, bars will be a particular struggle. Tumbling and vaulting will be difficult as well. As long as she eases herself back into normal activity and doesn't try to jump right back in where she left off, she'll get all her skills back in due time. She could take advantage of this opportunity to "go back to the basics" and really fine-tune the mechanics of her basic skills so that learning new, harder skills won't be as difficult. Meanwhile, keep up the conditioning. I know it's easy to get discouraged when all she can do is watch her friends do the fun stuff while she's stick lugging around those weights and a list of conditioning, but remind her that she's getting way stronger than everyone else so that when she's back, she'll be better than ever Best of luck to y'all!

 

[coachmolly]

I'm so sorry she didn't get the all clear from the doctors, not a fun place to be. Hopefully she will manage to stay busy and motivated these next few weeks and get some good news the next time around.
As far as getting back into the gym, if her coaches have been thorough (and creative) with her conditioning plan during her time off, the transition back to skills shouldn't be too terrible. So if the coaches have found a way for her to do some arm strength in addition to the typical leg and core stuff given to kids with arm/hand injuries, she should be able to bounce back on all events without too much trouble, though it definitely will take time to get back to full strength and skill level. Just follow the docs orders and don't rush it too much, better to take it slow than wind up injured again!
Best wishes to her, I hope she can find a way to feel productive in the gym over the next 4 weeks without getting herself down. Keep us posted!

 

[gymmomtoo]

Well the news at the doctor was not good at all. They did remove the cast but the x-ray showed that she has not healed. She is now in a removable splint that she can take off at home when she is being still(ha when does that ever happen) but she is out for 4 more weeks. She is devastated and I do not know how we are going to make it through 4 more weeks of just conditioning at the gym.

So sorry! HOpe the next four weeks she is able to make it through, so she can heal well. It's tough and it's disappointing, but she CAN make it.

 

[Deanna]

Poor baby! I'm sure she is going crazy. And you probably are too..lol. I hope you are able to keep her relaxed and "happy" for the next 4 wks. And that she heals quickly and properly. Keep us posted on how she is doing

 

[magymmom]

Well not trying to be pushy on getting her back because I do want her to be healed. But we are going back to the doctor on Monday 10 days after her last visit to get a new xray and to actually see the doctor(all we have seen so far is one of his Physician Assistants) I am concerned about the fact that she was blowing off and not considering the fact that my dd is a competitive gymnast. So I asked to see the doctor this time. We are at least hoping for her to be able to return to light training with her hands non impact type of stuff and hopefully some bars.