WAG not allowed to wear braces

[gymnastmga1]

hi everyone
in my gym, one of the coaches does not allowed you to wear a brace with out a doctors note but other coaches dont care. this coach is a level 5 and 6 coach and when she sees someone with a brace and no doctors note she makes them take it off.

it sounds pretty reasonable except for when my friend (level 9) came into the gym a few days ago wearing her elbow brace ,which she had surgery on last year but got clear not to have to wear it, and she told my coach it was really bothering her again and he told her to wear it but she made her take it off.

is this acceptable?

do they do this in your gym?

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

None of our coaches have ever told a gymnast to take a brace off. But our head coach "highly discourages" it and give multiple talks about how braces just weaken your muscles. He says it enough to where no one wears a brace unless they absolutely need it.

 

[GymMom67]

I don't know if anyone has ever been told to take one off, but it is a written policy at my DD's gym that no braces can be worn without a doctor's note.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think we as coaches tend to be way overcautious of braces. The old refrain goes that wearing a brace weakens the associated muscles, but I've only ever heard that from coaches -- every medical professional I've talked to has said that braces are ok, and I know of a couple who even RECOMMEND tiger paws for anybody level 7 and up as a preventative measure, even if they don't have any wrist problems.

I'm not aware of any sort of scientific studies backing up the idea that muscles get significantly weaker when supported by a brace during workouts. And even if they did, this could easily be counteracted with a bit of extra conditioning.

 

[shelovestoflip]

I think that if a child has a brace per dr. orders then it should be OK. However I wouldn't want my daughter wearing a brace without having a dr check her first.

Better to know what the problem is first...as in, why is the brace needed?!

If your friend's elbow is bothering her again, wearing the brace might help for a few days but as a parent I would take my daughter back to the ortho to find out exactly what the current issue is!

My daughter wears a knee brace because she has some weakness in the muscle around one knee. She also does PT to increase the strength.

So, I think a brace alone won't solve a problem if the gymnast isn't sure of what the problem is!

 

[dmytv]

I really think that kind of thinking is a little out dated. Here is a study on ankle braces from UW

UW Studies: Ankle Braces Keep High School Athletes in the Game

This is advice from one of the manufactures FAQs - Active Ankle
If it hurts, a little tape or a brace can keep it from getting worse.

 

[BlairBob]

I would take this issue up to the Head Women's Program coach or owner. If they approve of it, that lowly compulsory coach can shut it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i agree BlairBob. some braces are innocuous. but others are beneficial. and here are some that are not appropriate for gymnasts. but if a DOCTOR wants them to wear it, or wear it periodically, i don't think it's wide to go against their advice. i certainly don't understand why a coach would contradict the recommendations of the DOCTOR.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Could this be a way of encouraging athletes to go to the doctor instead of just slapping a brace on it & calling it good? I don't know that this is the route I would take but it's a thought.