Parents Broken 5th Metatarsal question

[GymMom16]

Hello! In February my DD broke her 5th Metatarsal. When we went for the 6 week check they found it did not heal and then needed surgery. They were able to bring the bones together with a screw and she has been in a splint for a week now. Initially they said she would be back to regular activity 6-8 weeks post surgery. Which will essentially put her out of regular gymnastics activity for a total of 15 weeks. The first 7 weeks she conditioned her core and upper body and towards the end was able to work out on the high bar with her boot and ankle weights. But she has been out this past week completely after surgery and will be pretty limited (again) for the next 6-7 weeks. Her anxiety is rising and depression is setting in, as she was in a great place before this happened and had hopes of making level 7 next year. What are some things I can do to help her through this? Assuming she will need PT and possibly a chiropractor? I would like to take as much load off her as possible to help because I know the mental part of going back is going to be hard enough. Her coaches and teammates are very supportive but of course she has been out of the gym for a week and half now and not sure yet when she will be able to return as she is not able to bear any weight on the foot until her post surgery check. I would love to hear some encouraging words from anyone who has been through something similar and advice on how I can help her. Gymnastics is her life, its all she does outside of school and her teammates are her best friends and more like family. It makes me sad to see her so withdrawn and worried. Thanks!

 

[NutterButter]

I'm so sorry this happened to your DD. I'm sure you were all hoping/expecting a different outcome so the surgery and additional time out probably seems extra punishing. :-(

My DD has been out of the gym since early Feb and will return for about an hour/day starting in a couple weeks. She has a long recovery ahead of her.

My advice is to keep your DD as busy as possible which I know seems hard because she's not very mobile now. My DD has taken two classes during her down time that she normally wouldn't have time for. Is there a craft or something that your DD has expressed interest in? Now would be a great time to learn it. I also made it a point to prioritize outings with her teammates. Most of DD's recovery was during meet season so she was still able to see her teammates with some frequency and still feel like part of the team which helped her a lot. If your DD isn't too mobile right now can you invite teammates over? If she can't bear weight, can she be pushed around the mall in a wheel chair by her teammates?

 

[kipnastic mom]

My daughter broke her cuboid bone in her foot in January in a bar accident. She was non-weightbearing (cast/crutches) for 5 weeks and then a boot for 2 weeks. During this time she went to every practice and the coaches and conditioning stuff (abs/arms) she was able to do. She was allowed to do low bar work the entire time. She was casting, Kiping, etc. 1 week before she was going to be out of the boot we started PT.

We are a now 1 month out of everything and she is slowly getting back to speed. Her PT wasn't for the foot, it was to strengthen the calf and ankle. We were encouraged to walk in water when she was in the boot to start working those muscles. Preparing your daughter that to get back takes some time. It's mentally challenging as everyone's working upgrades for level 7 and she is trying to get back her basic tumbling. Floor and vault have been the hardest and each night we have to remind her she can't be back so quick.

Good luck to your daughter.

 

[gymgal]

Has the dr restricted her from being in the gym? If not I would get her back there for conditioning as soon as possible. Even if the dr restricted her, I would talk to him/her about it, ensuring them that your dd will only be conditioning. There should be no reason she can't be in the gym even with non-weightbearing restriction.

My dd had a knee injury two years ago that required 7 wks on crutches complete non-weightbearing. She took a few days off from gym but then went in everyday for conditioning. usually a couple of hours each day but it was enough for her to still feel a part of the team and not lose touch. It was really hard not to be able to do any rotations with the team though. So it's a balance. Once she was weightbearing again, she slowly worked in bars and then beam (on floor). She had PT 2x/week for several weeks and continued 1x/wk for several months, working on getting back the muscle she lost from non-weightbearing for so long. It was a long road. about 12 mths total from the injury until she felt like she could tumble at her level again, but she was/is a L10. She had to be careful to build back the stability of the joint as well because of the level of her tumbling and twisting. Yours should be able to come back a lot faster. Still, the non-weightbearing does weaken the muscles and it takes a while to gain the strength back. If you are not in PT yet, I would start now, preferably with one who has worked with gymnasts (or was a gymnast). They tend to understand what is needed to get back in full form. Others tend to just say: do what doesn't hurt and go back slowly - without understanding what muscles/flexibility is needed for the sport. DD started 2 weeks post injury, I believe, and it really helped with maintaining her flexibility, reducing scar tissue, and maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. She was cleared for swimming and this helped with working her leg muscles.

As for making L7, it really just depends on where she was before the injury in terms of her skills. If she had most of them, they likely will come back fairly easily. If she was struggling, it is hard to tell. Also depends on when the gym makes their decision for move-ups. You may want to talk with the coach so you have a timeline and an idea of what they are thinking. Now that the surgery is done, you have a more definitive timeline on recovery. She can definitely be working on giants and free hips in strap bar while she is recovering and that will definitely help. Once she is weight-bearing, she can work the beam skills on floor. Those are the two events that usually come back the fastest.

 

[GymMom16]

Thanks all for the replies and advice! We went to the surgeon for a post op check. There is finally some bone growth. She will be back in her boot for 4 more weeks and hopefully in two shoes for the first time since February on May 16th! I took her to meet with two of her gym friends yesterday for lunch, it was nice to see her laugh and be silly with them. We visited her coach yesterday as well. She is going to go tomorrow and do some conditioning. She is having a lot of pain in her heel though, not sure if its just because she has been off it for a bit though. The Dr. seems to think she will not need PT though... I am afraid about her having a weak ankle. Should I go ahead and take her to a PT anyway?

 

[Kristie]

I know this is a different bone but my dd broke her radius clean in half February 2017. She didn't have full bone healing until 8 months after her break. She was able to do light weight bearing activities around 6 months post surgery but it took a good 8 months before she was 100% healed.

I know it sucks but tell your daughter to keep her head up. Some people take longer to heal and I know it's not what you or your daughter want to hear. Especially since she is in a higher level and getting back into the swing is going to be tough.

I agree with everyone about conditioning. My dd wasn't motivated to go because she felt left out and it really affected her come back.

As for PT, it's always a good idea to at least research the option. If she's a slow healer, it might be beneficial to get her in to work those muscles and make them strong.

I hope she gets better quickly! Broken bones SUCK.

 

[gymgal]

She is having a lot of pain in her heel though, not sure if its just because she has been off it for a bit though. The Dr. seems to think she will not need PT though... I am afraid about her having a weak ankle. Should I go ahead and take her to a PT anyway?

Great news on moving to the boot and the bone growth!!

Don't listen to the dr on this one. Get a PT evaluation and let the PT decide if therapy is needed. Drs are too quick to dismiss the muscle strength/stability and flexibility needed to go back to a sport - especially gymnastics. Our ortho literally told my dd - you'll be find doing your cartwheels in just a few more weeks. We were like "what about her double backs, double fulls, etc!" LOL Go to the PT for an evaluation...

 

[kipnastic mom]

I would not listen to the dr and would get her PT. When they are non-weightbearing it causes their ankles and calves to be very weak. If they don't strengthen those it could lead to other injuries. My daughter also had to wear a brace for a couple weeks while playing sports as she worked to build that ankle strength back up. Both her dr and PT stressed, you don't do PT for the foot, you do it for the ankle which is compromised because it wasn't used for so long.

 

[kipnastic mom]

I wanted to add, our Dr had her take extra calcium and vitamin D. He says it helps with bone growth in kids. We had our dd take 1 viactive twice a day and now that we are released she will continue to take 1 a day.

 

[gymgal]

I wanted to add, our Dr had her take extra calcium and vitamin D. He says it helps with bone growth in kids. We had our dd take 1 viactive twice a day and now that we are released she will continue to take 1 a day.

Yes, I forgot to add that too. The ortho recommended a combination Calcium/vit 2 supplement.

I would not listen to the dr and would get her PT. When they are non-weightbearing it causes their ankles and calves to be very weak. If they don't strengthen those it could lead to other injuries.

Knee too. You lose a lot of muscle in the thigh on non-weight bearing and it also leads to looser tendons on the knee

 

[my4buffaloes]

Honestly - I would take this opportunity to get her into something else. Not permanently, and not a sport obviously. But try to foster an interest or a friendship outside of the gym. This will benefit her mental health going forward. It can be as simple as free library programs, a 4 week art class, or an after school activity. Anything really. It just isn't healthy for anyone (especially a child) to have all their eggs in one basket. Use this time as a chance to finally be able to fit something else in her schedule, because I know how demanding a full week of gymnastics practice is.

I hope she heals up quickly now that there is bone regrowth.

 

[GymMom16]

I would not listen to the dr and would get her PT. When they are non-weightbearing it causes their ankles and calves to be very weak. If they don't strengthen those it could lead to other injuries. My daughter also had to wear a brace for a couple weeks while playing sports as she worked to build that ankle strength back up. Both her dr and PT stressed, you don't do PT for the foot, you do it for the ankle which is compromised because it wasn't used for so long.

That is what I have been thinking, about the other parts of that leg. Now that she is out of the splint and I can see her leg, her lower right leg is so much smaller than her left leg!! There is no way there is a whole lot of strength there at all! I will call tomorrow, I have the name of a fantastic PT in our area that deals with primarily athletes. As far as the calcium and Vit D... I have been pushing that on her since the second day of injury. I hope it has helped somewhere along the way. We will continue it hoping to prevent more injuries as this is her third bone injury in 5 years. Thanks for your advice!

 

[John]

Muscular atrophy can begin as soon as three days. So surely being in aa boot would cause the lose of muscle, most doctors would surely know this. Doing gymnastics causes our children to have more muscle then their peers, thus the extra odd look of a gymnasts booted leg when comparing to the non booted leg. Personally I feel of your DD is healed any coach worth their weight would add slowly to your DD reentry to practice. Doing gymnastics slowly back to where she was will surely build muscle at a rapid pace.

Just a thought.