I haven't been on for awhile because I truly thought dd was on her way out. Even though she has been thinking about selecting next year's floor music, I just had to shake my head and wonder how she could go on. She has had back problems for a couple of years now, and it got worse this year after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in her vertebra. She took some time off to let it heal and then started her spring sport- pole vaulting, where the back pain started all over again. She had an MRI and we just got the results. No fractures or danger of anything that could snap causing more injuries, so she is clear to resume activity. As for the pain: she needs to strengthen muscles surrounding her spine to support all the strain placed on her back by the various sports she is involved in. So, now she will start a regimen of strength and conditioning to focus specifically on the back as well as abdominal area to get her ready to continue training in both sports. I have to wonder: Do other gyms do exercises and drills to strengthen all the many back muscles that run along the spine? Seems dd's former gym had neglected this area, though they condition sooo much to help the rest of the body. We noticed that all the girls had back pain. Maybe if coaches would spend a few extra minutes focusing on this very important body area they could help alleviate some of this pain. Just a thought. I'm happy that dd isn't going to be out for several more months and in a back brace. I'm happy she can still continue with her athletic activities. And, we found a coach that is willing to work with her on a regular basis to build her up to where she needs to be. What great news!