Parents Anyone with experience with stress fractures in back?

[VanessaJV]

We just found out today my DD has a stress fracture in her lumbar region (Spondylolysis). We have a general idea what we are doing for the next couple weeks regarding doctors, treatment, rest, etc. However, I am wondering what others experiences have been with this type of injury. Has your child had recurring injuries or pain? How was the full recovery process? Really any information and experience someone can share would be great. Thanks

 

[gymmom2681]

My DD has not but has a few good friends that have! They took off the time the dr's recommended and helped "coach" during that time! They did not do any gymnastics at all. Came back and are doing great! One has to do a mobility meet in two weeks then will be completely caught up with the group. They both did PT and do not have any pain now.

 

[AWOL]

Our daughter has had it two times. The first time she may have gone back too soon.
Make sure you are going to a sports doctor who has some experience treating gymnasts if at all possible. Also make sure the PT has the same type of experience. Follow their instructions to the tee.
Luckily in our case, the doctor and the PT (she was a former collage gymnast) worked out a treatment plan together.
Also there are some things she should not do, such as bridges, the rest of her career.
Make sure the coaches are kept in the circle.
In our case, the PT and gym have also worked together on what she can and cannot do, including what she should do in her routines.

 

[bogwoppit]

Mine never went back, she had fusion surgery in 2011, still has back pain. My advice is no matter what the recovery is like, avoid bridges, BWO and any moves with extreme back arching. Err on the side of caution, no matter how important it seems that she get back in the gym.

Backs are for life, gym is just a kids sport.

 

[rgmom]

Yes, daughter was diagnosed with spondylolysis, about 1 1/2 years ago. She had pain for quite a while before it was actually diagnosed. She was in a hard brace for 3 months, 23 hours a day. When the brace came off, daughter had months and months of PT. She did no gymnastics at all while in the brace and for the first 2-3 months of PT. She was told she would be absolutely fine by the Dr. and should be able to return to gymnastics fully. We used an orthopedic doctor with a well known NYC hospital, that was highly recommended and had much experience with gymnasts and dancers, as well as a physical therapist, that also came highly recommended, that was a former college gymnast.
However, despite being told she would be able to return to gymnasts with no restrictions, that is really not the case. It has been many months since she finished PT, as well as doing a few extra rounds of therapy.
Daughter has returned to the sport and is working on getting her skills back, but she has to be careful and does still have some back soreness. When it hurts, she stops until it clears up. Beam seems to aggravate it the most.
Her coaches are great and are crafting her routines to allow her to compete this season. She missed 2 full seasons, and she is thrilled to hopefully make her "comeback". She will probably never be where she was before, but wants to stay with gymnastics, to finish up her last 2 seasons, as it's still her passion.
We always tell her she will have a great college essay to write about perseverance!

 

[VanessaJV]

Thanks for your responses. Im also kind of wondering how you as a parent processed the injury. I am having a bit of a difficult time. I am probably going to sound all over the place... but that is pretty much where my brain is at.

My DD has never really dealt with an injury before. To begin with, I am feeling a little bit of guilt. She would complain once in a great while about some pain in her back, but it would pass quickly. This last time, it seemed to come on quickly and just not go away. In some ways I feel like I minimized a bit. I was sort of thinking, yea it hurts... gymnasts hurt sometimes... watch and see. The day my husband took her in was a practice day and she didnt want to go and that is beyond unusual. So we were a bit concerned something else might be going on. I had to work, so I was unable to be at drs, which is also making this situation a bit more frustrating.

My other thoughts in my head are in regards to my daughter and just her gymnastics in general. My DD is 10. She trained 27 hrs through summer and now 24 in fall. She lives and breaths this sport. She has big goals and dreams and we have chosen to support them. This has not always been easy and TBH there have been many days, completely unrelated to the specific sport, that I wish it was done. But I have stayed dedicated for DD.

This injury is throwing me for a loop. I know it will heal with rest... or so I have been told. We see another dr this week. But it is a little scarey for me. I see kids have stress fractures in their legs and wrists. But this is her spine. She's 10! It just makes me start wondering and questioning everything that is our reality. And its hard talking to almost anyone in my gym world because the feeling I am getting (and maybe its just me), is yup... no biggie, rest a bit and jump back in. It's like this is so normal and part of the deal... just move along. I kind of get it is. But its different when its my kid I guess. It doesnt feel normal at all.

Not sure what I am looking for. I lurk constantly on here but rarely post. I just feel very confused right now and am hoping to feel not as alone I suppose.

 

[John]

Just talk there seems to be some good people here that will. Listen and offer educated opinions.

My DD 10 insists on wearing tiger paws. She can not catch the beam For BWO correctly while wearing them. Her coach is fine and has had her always work on BHS. She now does BHS BHS. She only competed level 5 once, a score out meet. I guess my point is I too am Worried about backs and the damage BWO can do when many many reps are completed.

 

[gymmutti]

Stress fracture in the back is not like stress fractures in other areas (at least according to my daughter's Dr). If it is a true fracture, I was told that it will likely not ever re-heal as true bone but does heal as connective tissue. The recovery time can vary and the key is not to return too early. Stress reactions can heal as bone, but the recovery time can be even longer than with a fracture.
DD (who had stress reactions on both sides of her L5) was out for 4-5 months with lots of PT and then a very slow return process.
Bog is absolutely right - gymnastics is not worth lasting damage to your back.

 

[IreneKa]

Unfortunately I have another non-success story, but I've read plenty of success stories here on CB, so don't loose hope.

For us it didn't end well. DD was diagnosed with a L5 stress fracture. We did everything the doctors told us to do - rest, brace, PT, etc. It healed nicely. In fact, the doctor was very happy with the way it healed, because as @gymmutti said above it usually heals as a connective tissue, but in DD's case it actually healed with a bone.
She went back to full gymnastics, but 6 months later the pain came back. The diagnosis was stress reaction at the exact same spot. Whatever caused her fracture at the first place wasn't corrected, so as she went back to gymnastics, the stress came back. This is to say that just to heal the fracture is not enough. You have to find a good Sports doctor or PT or someone who understands gymnastics, and can figure out what caused the injure and help to correct the underlying issue.

In my DD's case, after the injure re-occurred we tried everything - rest, back brace, lots of PT, stretching hips, shoulders, strengthening core, etc., nothing helped, the pain wouldn't go away. The follow-up MRI showed "degenerative facets", which basically means that the facets (joints between vertebrae) are permanently damaged. The doctors assured me that people can live with this condition and do sports and be active. As long as DD can maintain a strong core to support her back she should be pain free.
That was the end of gymnastics for her though. Now 1.5 years later she finally doesn't have any pain, she dances, plays softball, etc. But unfortunately gymnastics is out of the question for her ever.

But again, I don't want you to be discouraged. Do a search here on CB for "stress fracture", and you can find many success stories.

 

[Flyaway]

I don't have any stories, but I just wanted to offer support. First of all, please don't blame yourself. You can't know what you don't know. It sounds like you've gotten her the help she needs, you haven't ignored the issue. You've done what you need to do. So give yourself some grace. <3

Second of all, definitely do a search here for spondy threads. Also, look up back/shoulder flexibility. There's a wealth of information on this board regarding this. And I hope others with experience will chime in. Best wishes to your dd.

 

[B&M's mom]

Don't worry, you are not alone. Any parent whose child has suffered a significant injury has had the same questions and doubts. Its a struggle if they really want to return to the sport because as adults we know what injuries can mean to the rest of their lives. My DD's passion was gymnastics and she worked hard to return to the sport after a number of injuries (not her back). It was hard to let her return to the sport but I also didn't want to break her spirit. She finally walked away after realizing that her body would not be the same. While there was no happy ending for gymnastics, she is now diving and talking with coaches about diving in college. She's actually healthier than when she was doing gymnastics.

Feel free to vent here, we do understand.

 

[thefellowsmom]

my dd is a spondy success story. it is very scary and can be very difficult to recover from. every case is unique. recovery depends on so many things but especially that the true cause of the problem is addressed and that they do the work to get better.

I will PM you.

 

[flipping_girls]

My DD has never really dealt with an injury before. To begin with, I am feeling a little bit of guilt. She would complain once in a great while about some pain in her back, but it would pass quickly. This last time, it seemed to come on quickly and just not go away. In some ways I feel like I minimized a bit. I was sort of thinking, yea it hurts... gymnasts hurt sometimes... watch and see. The day my husband took her in was a practice day and she didnt want to go and that is beyond unusual. So we were a bit concerned something else might be going on. I had to work, so I was unable to be at drs, which is also making this situation a bit more frustrating.

Injuries are so hard on both the athletes and the parents. I too have felt guilt over not realizing the small complaints of aches and pains, were actually much larger concerning issues. The hard part with the sport, is that athletes are taught to push past the uncomfortable and be mentally tough. Its hard for the athletes (and parents) to always immediately identify the difference between injury and soreness. Hindsight can easily make a parent feel guilty for not recognizing the situation for what it was sooner. But it sounds like you took action as soon as your daughter expressed unusual behavior and complaint, and that is all we can do as parents. You are doing exactly what your child needs from you, and that is ensuring she is treated correctly, is healing, and safe. Best of luck to you and your daughter. Hang in there!

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Can I ask what her symptoms were? My DD is dealing with some back pain, going on about 3 weeks now. First was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise and then diagnosed as a lumbar sprain (had an xray done and it was clear). She says it only hurts when she does certain skills (BWO, bridge are the 2 main ones). We have an appt on Thursday with a back specialist to possibly get an MRI done. If it was a stress fracture would she have constant pain? I'm so worried that it's something more serious but am hoping that it's just muscular at this point, since it doesn't hurt her all the time and she explains the pain as a tightness feeling.

 

[gymmomx2]

Can I ask what her symptoms were? My DD is dealing with some back pain, going on about 3 weeks now. First was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise and then diagnosed as a lumbar sprain (had an xray done and it was clear). She says it only hurts when she does certain skills (BWO, bridge are the 2 main ones). We have an appt on Thursday with a back specialist to possibly get an MRI done. If it was a stress fracture would she have constant pain? I'm so worried that it's something more serious but am hoping that it's just muscular at this point, since it doesn't hurt her all the time and she explains the pain as a tightness feeling.

Following...this is my daughter too. She says she KNOWS it's muscle soreness but she asks me to rub her everyday. Also the pain is sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other side, not always in the same spot. She doesn't do a lot of BWO or bridges anymore except during warmup so I'm not panicking but I'm monitoring closely. So hard to know what to do...

 

[profmom]

If you are wondering what to do, get it checked. You need oblique Xrays and an MRI to rule out both fractures and stress reactions. I also recommend strongly that you ask around until you figure who the doctor is in your area who understands gymnasts and their backs. We wasted several months with the wrong doctors and ineffective attempts to resolve the pain by resting. It turned out that what she needed was PT and strengthening of the small stabilizing muscles in her back . . .

 

[Aussie_coach]

Can I ask what her symptoms were? My DD is dealing with some back pain, going on about 3 weeks now. First was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise and then diagnosed as a lumbar sprain (had an xray done and it was clear). She says it only hurts when she does certain skills (BWO, bridge are the 2 main ones). We have an appt on Thursday with a back specialist to possibly get an MRI done. If it was a stress fracture would she have constant pain? I'm so worried that it's something more serious but am hoping that it's just muscular at this point, since it doesn't hurt her all the time and she explains the pain as a tightness feeling.

Stress fractures in the spine don't normally present with constant pain. Her symptoms could very well point to a stress fracture.

 

[bogwoppit]

My daughters pain was not constant, and the fractures were only found on an oblique xray, not a regular one or an MRI. I imagine a bone scan would show it pretty effectively.

 

[bogwoppit]

Can I ask what her symptoms were? My DD is dealing with some back pain, going on about 3 weeks now. First was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise and then diagnosed as a lumbar sprain (had an xray done and it was clear). She says it only hurts when she does certain skills (BWO, bridge are the 2 main ones). We have an appt on Thursday with a back specialist to possibly get an MRI done. If it was a stress fracture would she have constant pain? I'm so worried that it's something more serious but am hoping that it's just muscular at this point, since it doesn't hurt her all the time and she explains the pain as a tightness feeling.

If BWO's and bridges bother her, stop them.

 

[VanessaJV]

Can I ask what her symptoms were? My DD is dealing with some back pain, going on about 3 weeks now. First was diagnosed as a deep bone bruise and then diagnosed as a lumbar sprain (had an xray done and it was clear). She says it only hurts when she does certain skills (BWO, bridge are the 2 main ones). We have an appt on Thursday with a back specialist to possibly get an MRI done. If it was a stress fracture would she have constant pain? I'm so worried that it's something more serious but am hoping that it's just muscular at this point, since it doesn't hurt her all the time and she explains the pain as a tightness feeling.

She was complaining of lower back pain very infrequently. Then about a week and a half ago, the pain started and did not seem to go away for any length of time. Her coach was changing her training a bit while it was hurting. But finally one day, DD did not want to go to practice because of the pain. My DD never wants to miss practice. This made us think something else was going on. So my husband brought her in. There was definitely specific things that caused increased pain.... archy skills, twisting skills. She knew what hurt most.