Parents Back, wrist and ankle pain in 8 year old.

[5birds]

My dd is a new level 4 gymnast. She is really starting to have back pain doing bridges, back bends, back handsprings, etc... She also complains of ankle pain when tumbling and wrist pain when doing back handsprings. Does anyone have any recommendations for doctors in Boston? Do I take her to a sports medicine doctor?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV...! What I am is a mom with the exact same scenario. I am not taking dd to the doctor yet, from discussing it with her coach I think a bit of soreness is completely normal at this stage. Every ache and pain she has had lately (a couple of months ago it was back because she was doing so many BWO on beam, last week it was ankle and this week it was wrist/hand) has become lots better with traditional treatment. Stick her in an Epsom salt bath, ice pack wherever it hurts, take a dose of ibuprofen if it's really bad, wrap the offending body part for stability and placebo effect and use topical anti inflammatory cream/arnica/muscle rub depending on what hurts. So far everything has gotten tons better shortly and disappeared within a week or so.

If and when something doesn't go away with traditional treatment OR if there is swelling or bruising present (none in my dds case) I would definitely have it checked out.
Good luck, hope it's just the amped up training and normal soreness!

 

[Clover]

Yes, obviously consult a medical professional, but how much conditioning does she do? Perhaps she needs to work a bit more on strength and flexibility? That many aches and pains in an 8yo level 4 seems odd to me. Thoughts from Coaches????

 

[shelovestoflip]

My dd is a new level 4 gymnast. She is really starting to have back pain doing bridges, back bends, back handsprings, etc... She also complains of ankle pain when tumbling and wrist pain when doing back handsprings. Does anyone have any recommendations for doctors in Boston? Do I take her to a sports medicine doctor?

Children's Hospital Sports Medicine Clinic in Boston (plus they have hours in Waltham and Peabody) They are excellent. Whether it's 'real pain' or just all the newness of Level 4, I think good to make a connection at Children's and have a baseline with them. It's mid October so she should be used to their practice/conditioning by now and shouldn't have that much pain complaint. You don't mention how old she is but assuming she is younger (as many 4s are), her pain complaints sound extreme. Have you been at the gym a while and do you trust the coaches? Ask them and see what they say....My two cents.....

 

[bogwoppit]

From a mom who has been there many times, please take her to be looked at. Maybe it is nothing, but back pain should never be ignored. Mine started with issues around that age and it took years before I was able to get it worked out.

Go to a sports medicine doctor, have xrays and be sure that it is safe for her to continue. My advice tell her to avoid anything that hurts her back until she is seen. Your coaches are not doctors, and even if they say it is normal they are not qualified to state that.

 

[5birds]

Yes, obviously consult a medical professional, but how much conditioning does she do? Perhaps she needs to work a bit more on strength and flexibility? That many aches and pains in an 8yo level 4 seems odd to me. Thoughts from Coaches????

Yes, I am going to consult a professional. I just was not sure which type to consult. She does a ton of work on strength and flexibility. They are not even allowed to do bars work without 15 hollow shaped chin-ups (over and under) and 15 L hold leg lifts. They also do lots of work on flexibility. They also a run a ton. She is in the gym 15 hours a week.

 

[5birds]

From a mom who has been there many times, please take her to be looked at. Maybe it is nothing, but back pain should never be ignored. Mine started with issues around that age and it took years before I was able to get it worked out.

Go to a sports medicine doctor, have xrays and be sure that it is safe for her to continue. My advice tell her to avoid anything that hurts her back until she is seen. Your coaches are not doctors, and even if they say it is normal they are not qualified to state that.

Yes, I agree!! That is why I am taking her! The coaches just say that it could be that she just has muscle soreness. But, this has been going on for over a year. It all started with the repetitive practice of back handsprings. She always shakes her wrists after doing them too.

What ended up being the issue for your daughter?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

when mine hurt her knee the physio gave her a scale for the pain from 1-5, the saying was "more than 2 you can't do", so any exercise that made the pain a 3 was banned. Agree set your mind at rest and see a professional

 

[5birds]

Children's Hospital Sports Medicine Clinic in Boston (plus they have hours in Waltham and Peabody) They are excellent. Whether it's 'real pain' or just all the newness of Level 4, I think good to make a connection at Children's and have a baseline with them. It's mid October so she should be used to their practice/conditioning by now and shouldn't have that much pain complaint. You don't mention how old she is but assuming she is younger (as many 4s are), her pain complaints sound extreme. Have you been at the gym a while and do you trust the coaches? Ask them and see what they say....My two cents.....

Thanks! I called and made an appointment. She turns 8 in a week. Her pain complaints started when she was an old level 4 about a year and a half ago.

 

[5birds]

I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV...! What I am is a mom with the exact same scenario. I am not taking dd to the doctor yet, from discussing it with her coach I think a bit of soreness is completely normal at this stage. Every ache and pain she has had lately (a couple of months ago it was back because she was doing so many BWO on beam, last week it was ankle and this week it was wrist/hand) has become lots better with traditional treatment. Stick her in an Epsom salt bath, ice pack wherever it hurts, take a dose of ibuprofen if it's really bad, wrap the offending body part for stability and placebo effect and use topical anti inflammatory cream/arnica/muscle rub depending on what hurts. So far everything has gotten tons better shortly and disappeared within a week or so.

If and when something doesn't go away with traditional treatment OR if there is swelling or bruising present (none in my dds case) I would definitely have it checked out.
Good luck, hope it's just the amped up training and normal soreness!

Thanks for the suggestions! I also hope it is muscle soreness but beginning to have my doubts. She has had this pain for too long now.

 

[bogwoppit]

Yes, I agree!! That is why I am taking her! The coaches just say that it could be that she just has muscle soreness. But, this has been going on for over a year. It all started with the repetitive practice of back handsprings. She always shakes her wrists after doing them too.

What ended up being the issue for your daughter?

My daughter's back pain ended up being bilateral stress fractures and slippage. Known as spondylolysis with lysthesis. She had spinal fusion two years ago after four years of physio did nothing to help the pain. She was misdiagnosed many times.

She also had wrist pain that ended up being a tiny cyst deep down in her wrist, still working on that one. Her ankle pains were severs, she grew out of that.

All that to say every child is different, so many different things can cause pain, the best advice is to get it looked at. A year is a long time for back pain in an 8 year old.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Goodness, I wrote my reply thinking she had just started complaining..! Let me reassure everyone that I was responding to the idea of a child coming home and complaining of being sore, not someone being in pain for a year...
That's so hard as a parent isn't it, to judge what constitutes normal pain and soreness and what can be a potential catastrophic injury in the works.
I truly hope everything is ok with your dd!

 

[5birds]

Goodness, I wrote my reply thinking she had just started complaining..! Let me reassure everyone that I was responding to the idea of a child coming home and complaining of being sore, not someone being in pain for a year...
That's so hard as a parent isn't it, to judge what constitutes normal pain and soreness and what can be a potential catastrophic injury in the works.
I truly hope everything is ok with your dd!

Thank-you! It is hard to judge what is pain and what is soreness!!

 

[shelovestoflip]

Thanks! I called and made an appointment. She turns 8 in a week. Her pain complaints started when she was an old level 4 about a year and a half ago.

They are excellent....who are you seeing? Be prepared to wait....they're never on time.