Parents She broke her thumb

[myliljunebugs]

I feel so bad for my daughter, the ER doctor said she broke her thumb on her growth plate. When I said something about gymnastics he said to expect at least 6 months out?! We haven't gotten in to see the specialist but was he right or full of crap? Please say full of it, because DD was supposed to start preteam in 2 weeks and now she's in tears.

 

[Seeker]

6 months seems excessive, but it will depend on how severe it is and how she heals. Don't despair though....there is a lot she can still do (conditioning, flexibility, beam, ballet). When do you see the specialist?

 

[txgymfan]

Hang in there. A good coach will include her as much as possible and give her lots to work on. I'm sure she will be working on getting her splits down along with turns on beam, jumps and leaps on floor and beam and lots of core work. Just talk to her coach after you talk to the specialist. She will be upset but remind her that all the conditioning she does will make her a better gymnast.

 

[myliljunebugs]

I didn't even think about her being able to do other stuff. That will give her hope. We will see the specialist at the end of this week unless something opens up first so hopefully he will have good news. Thanks so much.

 

[txgymfan]

You could even ask her coach about setting a hard goal like getting a full turn on beam. It would be something to shoot for and requires endless repetition to get consistent.

 

[gymgal]

Drs tend to be more cautious with growth plates but 6 months sounds like a lot of time, especially given she is in the lower levels. It is usually 4-6 weeks in a cast, then a splint for 2-4 weeks, then easing back into using it for gym. Let us know what the specialist says.

 

[myliljunebugs]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease!

 

[profmom]

Wow, so sorry to hear this! Definitely see a specialist -- you don't want to mess around with a growth plate injury. A specialist will also likely be able to recommend a good physical therapist when the time comes.

Take whatever time is necessary for it to heal fully, even if it is frustrating. While six months now sounds awful, what would be a heck of a lot worse would be reinjuring it in a way that takes her out of the sport for good at L9.

 

[myliljunebugs]

She will definitely be seeing a specialist, thanks!

 

[myliljunebugs]

sorry, double post

 

[2G1B]

My son broke his pinky at the growth plate a few years ago. We went to a hand specialist. He had it splinted (from the ER) for I think 5 days, then a cast for 3 weeks, then no gymnastics that involved tumbling or being high up (rings, p bars, h bar) or pommel for 2-3 more weeks. He just went and did a lot of conditioning during that time.

Then this year he broke his ankle, again, at a growth plate; but it is a growth plate/bone that most people don't have. he is just special and has some extra foot bones. He was in a boot for I think 3-4 weeks, and had a few more weeks before he could do anything like rings, p bars, tumbling, high bar (but he could do pommel this time ).

With both injuries he still went to practice and did what he could.

 

[myliljunebugs]

Okay, so she now has her cast and the doctor said nothing but stretching until the cast is off and then he wants her to slowly reenter using it in gymnastics. He said the cast will only be about a month! Woohoo!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

She will definitely be seeing a specialist, thanks!

yes, do that. unless she requires surgery, it'll take 10 weeks. you don't need your fingers (well not all of them at the same time) to do gymnastics. but you do need your thumbs.