WAG Possible fractured elbow

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Gymnast_Tor

Gymnast
Hey everyone. It's been a while since I've been on CB! Last night at gym, while doing a front handspring vault, as I blocked onto the vault and tried to push off, my right elbow collapsed under me and I landed on the mat. They laid me still until I could put a splint on my arm and my dad drove me to the emergency care place. I either have a small elbow fracture or a very bad sprain (the x ray machines were old and inconclusive, so I night have an MRI) This is all new to me, injury in gymnastics, and I am now off work and no piano or gymnastics for about 4-6 weeks. Anyone have any tips or anything? I'm heart broken because I only have a year and a half left to do gym before graduation and now I'm out for a few months. And yes, im typing this only with my left hand haha.
 
While 4-6 weeks seems like FOREVER when you are going through it, realize it really isn't that long and you will be back before you know it. There is still lots you can do in the gym. Conditioning is very important, need to stay strong so you can come back fairly easily.
 
I know it sounds like 4-6 weeks is a long time, but it will fly by! Def. get the MRI so you know for sure what you are dealing with!! Good luck to you and most likely you will not miss most of the season!
 
I'm so sorry! I jus got off an injury were I had to get a "steroid shot" (I forgot the name not sure what to call it) in my ankle and was out for 3 weeks plus another 2 doing barley anything and a week after I sprain the other foot stepping off the beam!(ik I'm a idiot) but It went by fast! There were a few days I was mad and upset just wanted to e in the gym but I was thee almost everyday anyway! Haha I hope it's not fracture!
 
You need a good x-ray or MRI to determine exactly what you are dealing with. Especially with elbows. There are numerous places at which an elbow can be fractured, many not very serious, but some are quite serious. And by serious I mean that if it doesn't heal properly you could have issues for the rest of your life. Landing hard on an outstretched arm (or worse, hyperextended), CAN cause a fracture that may not feel that bad, but can cause big problems when it heals improperly.

Don't ask me how I know all this.....
 
Just wanted to update. The xray turned out to not have a fracture so we were referred to
An Orthopedic surgeon. Went to the orthopedic specialist and it turns out it is a torn collateral ligament. I am definitely out of work and gymnastics for at least 8 weeks until we can do physical therapy.
 
Does anyone have a list of conditioning exercises I can do to stay strong during this season even though I'm out? I need to work on abdominal the most but some exercises I need my elbow to do haha. (Planks, hanging leg lifts, L hangs, stuff like that) I'm already doing sit ups and hollow rockers
 
My son broke his elbow back in September. He was in a cast for 3 weeks and reduced activity for 2 more weeks. He still went to all by one practice and just did conditioning for 4 hours (he wasn't thrilled about this. LOL). He came back easily from the injury, his coaches even said that he was better than before the injury.
 
Thanks for the reply and I'm sorry about me just seeing this comment, haha! I actually went back to the doctor for a 2 week check up, and since the swelling is gone, they did another xray. They found the torn collateral ligament in the MRI and in this xray, they found a fractured Radial Head (of the elbow). I am definitely out of gym and work until after Christmas. I am in physical therapy and they told me since I can't even fully extend or retract my elbow, I'm out for a while. I am trying SO hard to recover quickly!!
 
good luck. Take it as a chance to really work what you can without any chance of hurting it further. Are you going to be in a cast? I want to say that my son may have still done planks - he was in a cast from his hand (went over the palm of the hand, fingers and thumb sticking out) to almost his underarm and he may have still leaned on the cast. I'm not sure though, I can never watch his actual practices - they are on the other side of a wall from the viewing area. He also did tons of V ups. And he also worked his legs a good bit. If you need work on your splits, it is a good time to do that too.
 
Thanks for the reply and I'm sorry about me just seeing this comment, haha! I actually went back to the doctor for a 2 week check up, and since the swelling is gone, they did another xray. They found the torn collateral ligament in the MRI and in this xray, they found a fractured Radial Head (of the elbow). I am definitely out of gym and work until after Christmas. I am in physical therapy and they told me since I can't even fully extend or retract my elbow, I'm out for a while. I am trying SO hard to recover quickly!!

Hope you heal soon, BUT, don't try to recover quickly, per say. Try to recover strong!
 
I was in a cast for 3 weeks and as soon as they found the fracture and put me in physical therapy, they took off the cast. My range of motion is better in the 6 days I have been out of the cast, but I still can't fully extend my arm. It's stiff and it hurts. I'm not allowed back into my gym until it is basically fully recovered, so that's why I asked about home conditioning. I think planks are out since I'm out of the cast.
 
yup, sounds like planks are out. Be sure to pay attention to your wrist too. That was actually where my son had more problems after going back to full practices. He had lost strength and flexibility in his wrist and I don't think that he expected that at all. He is still doing wrist exercises to try to catch it up to the other one.
 
Leg lifts on the floor are always good. I have my gymnasts do an abs circuit that you may find helpful. You can adjust the numbers or repetitions for your ability but here it is in case you're still looking for ideas:

50 leg lifts on the floor (hands behind your head)
Hold an L on the floor (toes to the ceiling, completely straight knees) and point/flex your feet HARD 50 times each
Count down from 10 to 1 and at each number slowly lower your legs closer to a hollow
When you get to hollow, 50 flutter kicks on each leg

It hurts! My kids are usually in agony by the time they finish. Good luck to you!
 

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