stargazer
Gymnast
So a few weeks ago I retired from gymnastics - for a few reasons, but one of them is I simply can't do a number of skills due to back pain. **Just a disclaimer, I'm not looking for medical advice, just if anyone else has had a similar experience they could share** I'm looking to get into dance, probably Hip Hop and Jazz. A recent x-ray showed a stress fracture in my lower back (I already have Grade 1, L5 spondylolisthesis, but it hasn't progressed in 7 years) which is likely the source of a lot of my back pain over the last two years. I used to be very flexible in my lower back, and never really learned how to engage my core while bending backwards, and one day while choreographing my low routine I did way too many backbends. I could hardly move the next day because my muscles were so tight. Since then I've had to be very careful with my back, and going to multiple physio places, massage, accupuncture, etc hasn't helped much. Anyways, my most recent physiotherapist (who my parents see as well and whom we trust) told me about the stress fracture they discovered in a recent x-ray and said it will likely never heal. I was shocked and didn't really think to ask why she thought it would never heal, don't bone fractures heal all the time? (and that's why bones don't stay broken forever?). She said I may just have to experiment with other sports and see what does and doesn't hurt, and to simply avoid too much bending or twisting. I've been avoiding bridges and walkovers, etc in gym for about 3 months now and it has helped a bit.
Have any of you/your gymmie experienced this before? Were you able to do other sports easily or did you have to be very careful about what you did? How common is it for a stress fracture not to heal? I'm 19, have been training 6-8 hours a week at Level 4/5/6 for the last 6 years, if that helps.
And yes I'm going to call her and ask why she thinks it won't ever heal itself.
Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading all the way through and thanks for your replies/stories!!
Have any of you/your gymmie experienced this before? Were you able to do other sports easily or did you have to be very careful about what you did? How common is it for a stress fracture not to heal? I'm 19, have been training 6-8 hours a week at Level 4/5/6 for the last 6 years, if that helps.
And yes I'm going to call her and ask why she thinks it won't ever heal itself.
Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading all the way through and thanks for your replies/stories!!
