Ankle injury

[GymnastPotterhead]

I hurt my ankle yesterday at practice, simply falling off the beam. My foot landed half on the 8 incher below and rolled badly. Some questions:
- Should you be able to put weight on the foot and if not, is this a bad sign?
- If its broken, is there still some ROM in your foot? (I hope its not)
- What do you/your kid do after an ankle injury to return back to training?
- How to keep your spirits up? It's in the middle of competition season and I was really looking forward to doing amazing at the next meet since the first 2 meets haven't been great.

 

[kecks]

You need to see a doctor and get x-rays to rule out a fracture. Then find a physiotherapist to ensure optimal recovery. In general use lots of ice all day long, put the foot up all day long.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

If you can't put weight on your foot after, I'd definitely see a doctor.

For me, keeping my spirits up often involves:
1. Doing something fun non-gymnastics, taking my mind off it
2. Find a point further in the future to get excited for.
3. Making a plan, so you have a view of the future. When you go to the fysio and make an active recovery plan, you can see what you can do while you recover (e.g. arm strength exercises that don't require standing) and what you can do to help yourself recover (e.g. rest first, do exercises the fysio gives when allowed/advised)
4. Helping out and cheering on teammates, if that's possible, helps me too (in my case not teammates but I give feedback to my fellow gymnasts when they ask me to)
5. Also important: allow yourself to be upset. It's part of life, and you don't always have to be happy. it's okay to be upset for a bit too.

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

I don't think my parents want to go to a doctor, its pretty expensive and they say its just a sprain and will heal. Same reason for PT so I'm kind of on my own. Two days later, I'm able to put weight on it standing, but am unable to walk without pain. I've been RICEing it and doing small circles, writing alphabet to restore ROM. Any other suggestions to recover from this?

 

[evergreen dreams]

My sister broke her ankle doing martial arts when we were teens. My mom dismissed it as "just a sprain" for too long and her recovery was awful. I would encourage you and your parents to look into financial assistance programs at your local hospitals and clinics. Children's hospitals and university hospitals tend to be the most generous but most hospital systems have some sort of charity program. You should be able to find out on their websites. Best of luck with your recovery!

 

[HopefulGymnast]

Is there maybe a school nurse or some adult at school who can look at the situation with you? Maybe a school nurse can assess if you should see a doctor and help convince your parents if it's necessary. Maybe another adult can help advise you if there's any affordable care options.

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

Well, I think I'm going to the doctor tomorrow because I haven't been going to school. I can walk without pain but didn't want to put extra weight of the school bag on the ankle or have to walk up/down stairs. Something feels off about this one but I hope its just a minor sprain. Will know tomorrow

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

Never mind, we decided to video call my sister instead, who is on her way to becoming a doctor, and showed her ankle and I told her symptoms - she said its a regular ankle sprain so we decided not to physically go to a doctor for an xray or whatever they do.

 

[raenndrops]

Never mind, we decided to video call my sister instead, who is on her way to becoming a doctor, and showed her ankle and I told her symptoms - she said its a regular ankle sprain so we decided not to physically go to a doctor for an xray or whatever they do.

FYI, an improperly treated "regular ankle sprain" can still have long-term negative effects on your gymnastics (and possibly everyday life).
I always recommend going to the doctor for even a regular ankle sprain because of the possible consequences.
YG sprained her ankle. The first 72 hours were for protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (PRICE). She could walk on it but couldn't do much else. After a week, I told her dad that she needed to see a doctor. He said ok. I took her to urgent care. It was just a sprain. They gave her an ankle brace and had her follow up with an orthopedist. He put her in PT and told her that the PT would direct her return to activity.
She had eight weeks before a really big gymnastics meet that she didn't want to miss, so she went to PT and did her home exercises. After five sessions of PT, her SM decided that YG didn't need PT after talking to a nurse friend because she was walking just fine. So, of course, PT was done.
She competed in her meet but was more wobbly on beam than usual. After the meet, they had a month of gymnastics (the gym closes for a month every summer). When they came back, she was still extra wobbly. Three months later, we had a home meet. I was standing with her dad when she was on beam. We were about 65 feet away from the beam. I told her dad to watch closely. He could see how shaky she was when she went on relevé before her full turn. It looked like her foot/ankle area was quivering. He couldn't believe it was as bad as it was. He didn't realize she had stopped PT early (SM didn't bother to tell him, and she was doing her home exercises occasionally, so he didn't think about it).
When she sprained her ankle again during the practice before the 2020 Covid lockdown, falling off the beam, her dad said she needed to complete PT this time. However, they weren't having in-person PT at that time, so she only had PT homework to do.
She still does her PT exercises when she thinks about it, but she still can't stand on just that foot for 20 seconds.

 

[Kara]

Yikes! You need to see a doctor, an injury can not be correctly diagnosed over video by someone who isn't even a doctor. If your parents are truly unwilling to get you proper treatment, find an adult who can take you to the emergency room where they can do X-rays to make sure there is no fracture. The ER has to treat you whether you can pay or not.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

Yikes! You need to see a doctor, an injury can not be correctly diagnosed over video by someone who isn't even a doctor. If your parents are truly unwilling to get you proper treatment, find an adult who can take you to the emergency room where they can do X-rays to make sure there is no fracture. The ER has to treat you whether you can pay or not.

I'm not from the US, but if her parents really can't afford that, wouldn't that cause other big issues? Like, wouldn't the hospital still send a bill?
I don't want to get all political here, but it is so wild to me to imagine you can't just go to a doctor for something. Where I'm from, this is all insured for everyone, it really saddens me that this entire thread even exists and young girls medical care depends on her parents' wealth. It's something I knew exists in other countries, but actually coming across it hits different.

 

[kecks]

I don't want to get all political here, but it is so wild to me to imagine you can't just go to a doctor for something. Where I'm from, this is all insured for everyone, it really saddens me that this entire thread even exists and young girls medical care depends on her parents' wealth. It's something I knew exists in other countries, but actually coming across it hits different.

This. Unbelievable. Very thankful to have universal mandatory healthcare. This is borderline neglect.

 

[IreneKa]

I'm not from the US, but if her parents really can't afford that, wouldn't that cause other big issues? Like, wouldn't the hospital still send a bill?
I don't want to get all political here, but it is so wild to me to imagine you can't just go to a doctor for something. Where I'm from, this is all insured for everyone, it really saddens me that this entire thread even exists and young girls medical care depends on her parents' wealth. It's something I knew exists in other countries, but actually coming across it hits different.

Yes, unfortunately that's the situation in the US currently with all those high deductible plans. Even when you technically have an insurance and it technically covers the treatment, you are paying out of pocket until you meet the deductible, which could be as high as $5K.
I definitely wouldn't go to the ER, it is crazy expensive, but some urgent care do X-rays, and they could be cheaper.

 

[raenndrops]

Yes, unfortunately that's the situation in the US currently with all those high deductible plans. Even when you technically have an insurance and it technically covers the treatment, you are paying out of pocket until you meet the deductible, which could be as high as $5K.
I definitely wouldn't go to the ER, it is crazy expensive, but some urgent care do X-rays, and they could be cheaper.

One year, my sister didn't expect "high use" of health insurance. She had gotten a new job, and their insurance would be even more expensive than her other options. She chose a plan that covered all of her doctors ($15 copay per visit) and her essential meds ($0 - $100 each, but most were $0-$10), but it had a $7500 deductible. After that, there was no co-insurance at all and no copays either. It was very affordable.

She ended up having to go to the ER in January. She filled out the financial assistance application on the back when she got the bill. She only had to pay 10% ... but 100% of the cost went toward her deductible. She had a few urgent care visits (about one every 6 weeks for sinus issues), got bloodwork, x-rays, an ultrasound, a CT scan, and needed sinus surgery that year at the same hospital system, so she only paid 10% for each of them. By August, her deductible had been met, so everything after that was free, lol.

 

[josie55]

There are issues with the US health system, for sure, but let me share a different example. A family member was raving about the Australian system because his cousin was able to get a mammogram at age 49, even though (he told me) most can't get it there until age 50. I shared that in the US it's standard to start at age 40, though if there's a reason to start earlier then insurance will approve it. Many, many people are able to get 3D ultrasounds, more frequent mammograms, and other diagnostics if they are justified. Sadly, the Australian friend was found to have stage 4 cancer. Had she been in the US, it presumably would have been caught much earlier. It's really not *all* bad over here. (And as for the ER, they won't deny care regardless of ability to pay, so while it's expensive for those who can pay, it's free for those who cannot.)

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

There are issues with the US health system, for sure, but let me share a different example. A family member was raving about the Australian system because his cousin was able to get a mammogram at age 49, even though (he told me) most can't get it there until age 50. I shared that in the US it's standard to start at age 40, though if there's a reason to start earlier then insurance will approve it. Many, many people are able to get 3D ultrasounds, more frequent mammograms, and other diagnostics if they are justified. Sadly, the Australian friend was found to have stage 4 cancer. Had she been in the US, it presumably would have been caught much earlier. It's really not *all* bad over here. (And as for the ER, they won't deny care regardless of ability to pay, so while it's expensive for those who can pay, it's free for those who cannot.)

Women over 40 can get a free mammogram every two years - so that is inaccurate - you just don't get invited to screen like you do at age 50. If you have family history then you would be advised by your GP to get regular screening/check ups prior.

Our biggest household dilemma is if we want to pay the $120 for the private emergency hospital/urgent care or wait at hospital for free care.

 

[gymyogimom]

One year, my sister didn't expect "high use" of health insurance. She had gotten a new job, and their insurance would be even more expensive than her other options. She chose a plan that covered all of her doctors ($15 copay per visit) and her essential meds ($0 - $100 each, but most were $0-$10), but it had a $7500 deductible. After that, there was no co-insurance at all and no copays either. It was very affordable.

She ended up having to go to the ER in January. She filled out the financial assistance application on the back when she got the bill. She only had to pay 10% ... but 100% of the cost went toward her deductible. She had a few urgent care visits (about one every 6 weeks for sinus issues), got bloodwork, x-rays, an ultrasound, a CT scan, and needed sinus surgery that year at the same hospital system, so she only paid 10% for each of them. By August, her deductible had been met, so everything after that was free, lol.

Not everyone has $7500 for a HDHP.

 

[raenndrops]

Not everyone has $7500 for a HDHP.

I know that many people have higher deductibles. In my sister's case, we do a cost/benefit analysis every year because she has options. I always help her by creating side-by-side comparisons of plan options that cover her doctors and meds so she can consider everything. A different year, she went with a $9000 deductible that had a 80% coinsurance on everything until she met the deductible. Then it dropped to 20% after that to a max out-of-pocket of $12,000. She didn't like that plan.

She chose the $7500 because it had an $83/month premium and would be the least expensive overall.
A $5000 deductible would have been $172/month; for a $2500 deductible, it would have been $386/month.
She also could have chosen a $10,000 deductible for $32/month with a different doctor copay ($25) and prescription rate ($3 - $200 with most in the $3 - $25 rate).
She chose the $7500 deductible option because she didn't think she would have more than 6 doctor visits ($90) and her usual prescriptions ($145/month). She figured that all in, she would be paying less than $3000. With the $5000 and $10,000 options, all in would have been closer to $4000, and with the $2500 option, premiums alone would have been over $4600.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

Never mind, we decided to video call my sister instead, who is on her way to becoming a doctor, and showed her ankle and I told her symptoms - she said its a regular ankle sprain so we decided not to physically go to a doctor for an xray or whatever they do.

How is your ankle now?
I injured my finger in the meantime, seeing the fysio next week but I've been able to do everything but kips still.

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

How is your ankle now?
I injured my finger in the meantime, seeing the fysio next week but I've been able to do everything but kips still.

It's better now, thanks for asking! You know what's funny, 4 people on my team got ankle injuries the week I got mine. It's so weird. Two of us have a proper sprain while the other two only have slight tweaks. Anyways, I've been doing strengthening exercises at home and hoping to flip (at least on tumble track) today. Maybe floor. I hope your finger gets better soon!