WAG BWO BWO and back pain.

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Mom2-4

Proud Parent
I know this has been covered many times. But any suggestions. 12 y/o is doing this series this weekend at her first l 7 meet. She has been working it a lot lately with a lot of back pain. Stretching and Motrin help a little. She had normal back X-rays about 6 weeks ago. It is starting to affect vault as well. I don't know what to suggest for her for this week for practice and at home. She used to have a BHS on beam but hasn't worked it in such a long time it is not an option right now. Beam has gotten so bad she just bails. Should she scratch. HC has said nothing to me at all even though she knows about the issue. DD has iced at practice multiple times. She and HC have discussed RO BT for next year. But I don't want to see her struggle with the pain all season. Suggestions please.
 
I'm so sorry for your DD. :-(

She needs to stop BWOs immediately. And like IreneKa said, get her to a sports doctor. An X-ray may not pick up on a problem. My DD started having back pain when she was training L5. She does not train them now (and her coaches won't let her train FWOs either).
 
Hybrid Perspective posted a new article about back pain, that you might find useful:
http://www.hybridperspective.com/20...mnasts-with-extension-based-lbp-part-1-acute/

Notice this section for what to do during the acute phase:


Depending on where your background in newer pain science concepts is, that can be very helpful for the athlete to understand whats going on. Along with this, education on stopping the provoking activity (very challenging for some athletes, parents, coaches) is big. They often don’t want to hear it, but they have to. Also, education to avoided over extended sitting or sleeping on stomach positions, and also utilizes hip dominated movement patterns in daily activities may be good to not further sensitize areas of the back involved.
 
How should I approach the coach with this? Or should I let DD do it. I think she just thinks my daughter is being a little bit of a wimp. DD and I discussed some options last night but I don't think she thinks she can have any of them ready for comp season and refuses to consider a scratch. I would rather see that than have it cause greater damage. I have always hated the double BWO. She had the same issue when she first learned it. She can do BHS up to panel mats and on floor beam but says she only gets one hand on the beam on the higher beams. Frustrating to deal with pre teens and fear of a skill that is better for her back.
 
Go to a sports med doctor who specializes in either in pediatrics or gymnasts, preferably both. A lot can happen in 6 weeks, maybe try another back x-ray. If nothing, maybe suggest an MRI? I dealt with ankle pain for a very long time before getting diagnosed correctly, I would hate to see your daughter be in pain for a long time too :(
Stop backwalkovers. None on floor, beam, at home, no where. Even if that means scratching beam. One meet is not going to kill her, she needs her back for a long time.
Maybe talk to the coach together. Set up a plan TOGETHER. My mom tried talking to my coach and that resulted in me not going to practice for 3 weeks at all, until the next day when the three of us met, determined a new plan. Set a plan together, compromise.
Scratch her at the meet or maybe try and find a new series, maybe cartwheel round off or something? Even if that is a lower start value, it is something.
Sending healing wishes :)
 
I think you need to take the lead on this and communicate directly with the coach. I feel like you need to hear the coach acknowledge the seriousness of this problem (and if the coach doesn't think back pain w/BWO is a serious problem then that too is telling). I totally understand your questioning on whether you should let your DD handle it (I too question when I should let DD advocate for herself vs me). When I brought my concerns up with DD's back pain I included a link to an earlier thread on CB that discussed it which I thought articulated my concerns well: (http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/t...while-doing-back-walkovers-on-the-beam.46406/

My DD is also a L7 and she and her coaches worked hard to find a series that worked for her. She just settled on something about a month ago (first meet is next weekend). It's still early in the season to get her another series.
 
Yes, if it's truly connected. That would solve one problem, but I also recommend getting a thorough spine eval. If there is a fracture, she shouldn't be doing any beam series.
 
One of our girls has back issues and does a cartwheel-RO for a series. No BWO, no BHS.
 
How should I approach the coach with this? Or should I let DD do it. I think she just thinks my daughter is being a little bit of a wimp. DD and I discussed some options last night but I don't think she thinks she can have any of them ready for comp season and refuses to consider a scratch. I would rather see that than have it cause greater damage. I have always hated the double BWO. She had the same issue when she first learned it. She can do BHS up to panel mats and on floor beam but says she only gets one hand on the beam on the higher beams. Frustrating to deal with pre teens and fear of a skill that is better for her back.

I would be concerned if my daughter's coach thought she was being a little bit of a wimp as you said above! That's a coaching red flag in my eyes! Does this coach work with a lot of upper level girls? Has the coach dealt with injury before and how is it handled?

AS others have said, I would have your daughter stop BWOs until you can have her seen by a pediatric sports ortho. She needs an MRI. Xrays will not show a stress fracture.
Better safe than sorry and while your daughter doesn't want to stop/scratch, she, as a tween, doesn't realize the potential for injury.

My daughter had a stress fracture in her back.....we caught it early, followed recovery directions to the letter and it's all been good for years now.

Backs aren't a body part to mess with.

And I would think about how the coach is managing. Something doesn't sound great to me.
 
One of DD's teammates did a CW-CW series last year when she had back issues (muscular not fracture). I agree with those who say stop doing that series entirely until thoroughly check by an ortho or sports medicine doc . Back problems really should not be ignored.
 
There's one thing I wish I would have done differently, and it's how I dealt with gymnasts with lower back pain. Yes, I suggested them to go to see a doctor and I suggested stopping walkovers and other bridge moves but did they listen to me? Yes and no. They didn't go to see a doctor until it hurt so much they couldn't do practically anything, no swinging on bars, no kips, no vaulting, no landings... They limited training walkovers but did them on meets because of our silly rule of backwards acro skill required, and they were nowhere near having BHSs or BTs on beam. The girls just didn't want to lose 0.5 points because of it... It sounds so silly now when they had to quit gymnastics altogether after all. When they went to see a doctor their backs were hurting very much and their diagnosis was spinal disc herniation. I have had three girls with that diagnosis, ages 13-15 (If there are coaches here with experience and knowledge about this feel free to comment or PM me. The girls' doctors and the parents did not tell me that much about it and even if I've done a lot of googling I still don't quite get it WHY I've had so many girls with that same diagnosis. If you have any idea what we were doing wrong please tell me! Now I'm coaching younger and lower lever girls in another gym and I would love to know what kind of skills and exercises to limit and what to do to prevent such injuries)
 
There's one thing I wish I would have done differently, and it's how I dealt with gymnasts with lower back pain. Yes, I suggested them to go to see a doctor and I suggested stopping walkovers and other bridge moves but did they listen to me? Yes and no. They didn't go to see a doctor until it hurt so much they couldn't do practically anything, no swinging on bars, no kips, no vaulting, no landings... They limited training walkovers but did them on meets because of our silly rule of backwards acro skill required, and they were nowhere near having BHSs or BTs on beam. The girls just didn't want to lose 0.5 points because of it... It sounds so silly now when they had to quit gymnastics altogether after all. When they went to see a doctor their backs were hurting very much and their diagnosis was spinal disc herniation. I have had three girls with that diagnosis, ages 13-15 (If there are coaches here with experience and knowledge about this feel free to comment or PM me. The girls' doctors and the parents did not tell me that much about it and even if I've done a lot of googling I still don't quite get it WHY I've had so many girls with that same diagnosis. If you have any idea what we were doing wrong please tell me! Now I'm coaching younger and lower lever girls in another gym and I would love to know what kind of skills and exercises to limit and what to do to prevent such injuries)

Again, http://www.hybridperspective.com/

Please, read through this site. This guy is a gymnastics coach and a PT. Lots of information there, especially for the coaches.
 
My dd had back pain in level 6-7 and was helped a lot by a sports chiropractor. If there's nothing on x-rays and MRIs, I would go that route.

As to how to approach the coach, I'd go with a Dr. note saying no back flexion.
 

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