Injury Broken arm return to gym timeline

[Mel9n]

Hello, I would love your return to gymnastics after broken bones stories My 9 year old NGA Silver broke both bones in her arm at the end of May, she was in a full arm cast for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of strict activity restrictions (ie no running/jumping as she might fall and rebreak.) She has been attending team camp and practice, doing hours of conditioning, working on splits etc. We just had a scheduled xray to be cleared for activity and were told she could do gymnastics with the exception of load bearing/twisting moves ie cartwheels for another two weeks, then could add those in assuming there was no pain, without coming back for another xray. We scheduled private lessons, spoke with coaches and then today got a note from her doctor saying she DOES need to come back for another xray and that there is a risk of rebreak for another 12 MONTHS and she should possibly stay out of gymnastics entirely for another 3 months. She has really struggled with not getting to progress with skills like her teammates, and now I am unsure whether she will be able to compete at all this year. Not looking for medical advice, just stories of return to gymnastics after breaks, gymnastics brings my daughter so much joy and we are hoping she gets to keep that.

 

[bk_ smilez]

Hello, I would love your return to gymnastics after broken bones stories My 9 year old NGA Silver broke both bones in her arm at the end of May, she was in a full arm cast for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of strict activity restrictions (ie no running/jumping as she might fall and rebreak.) She has been attending team camp and practice, doing hours of conditioning, working on splits etc. We just had a scheduled xray to be cleared for activity and were told she could do gymnastics with the exception of load bearing/twisting moves ie cartwheels for another two weeks, then could add those in assuming there was no pain, without coming back for another xray. We scheduled private lessons, spoke with coaches and then today got a note from her doctor saying she DOES need to come back for another xray and that there is a risk of rebreak for another 12 MONTHS and she should possibly stay out of gymnastics entirely for another 3 months. She has really struggled with not getting to progress with skills like her teammates, and now I am unsure whether she will be able to compete at all this year. Not looking for medical advice, just stories of return to gymnastics after breaks, gymnastics brings my daughter so much joy and we are hoping she gets to keep that.

Hello, I would love your return to gymnastics after broken bones stories My 9 year old NGA Silver broke both bones in her arm at the end of May, she was in a full arm cast for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of strict activity restrictions (ie no running/jumping as she might fall and rebreak.) She has been attending team camp and practice, doing hours of conditioning, working on splits etc. We just had a scheduled xray to be cleared for activity and were told she could do gymnastics with the exception of load bearing/twisting moves ie cartwheels for another two weeks, then could add those in assuming there was no pain, without coming back for another xray. We scheduled private lessons, spoke with coaches and then today got a note from her doctor saying she DOES need to come back for another xray and that there is a risk of rebreak for another 12 MONTHS and she should possibly stay out of gymnastics entirely for another 3 months. She has really struggled with not getting to progress with skills like her teammates, and now I am unsure whether she will be able to compete at all this year. Not looking for medical advice, just stories of return to gymnastics after breaks, gymnastics brings my daughter so much joy and we are hoping she gets to keep that.

I feel so touched by your story, i don't know is there is any way to make assistace to to your daughter, kindly send me a dm

 

[superNova08]

Not upper body - and definitely not as bad - but I broke my ankle during my Xcel Silver season - actually just before the season. I cracked my growth plate up into my bone (idk which bone specifically lol). I was in a boot and on crutches for 4 weeks, in a boot but walking for another 2, then in PT for another 6 weeks as I returned. I think it took about 13 or 14 weeks for me to be back at full strength. During the time I was out, about 2 weeks into being on crutches, I was doing conditioning and things. Once I could walk I was doing bars with a 2lbs weight on the other ankle, and flexibility. At one point I even learned to do cartwheels and roundoffs in the boot - against medical advice so I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. That's the most notable bone break. I've had some other stress fractures and some pretty bad sprains and tears but nothing else too major.

 

[RALG]

Hello, I would love your return to gymnastics after broken bones stories My 9 year old NGA Silver broke both bones in her arm at the end of May, she was in a full arm cast for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of strict activity restrictions (ie no running/jumping as she might fall and rebreak.) She has been attending team camp and practice, doing hours of conditioning, working on splits etc. We just had a scheduled xray to be cleared for activity and were told she could do gymnastics with the exception of load bearing/twisting moves ie cartwheels for another two weeks, then could add those in assuming there was no pain, without coming back for another xray. We scheduled private lessons, spoke with coaches and then today got a note from her doctor saying she DOES need to come back for another xray and that there is a risk of rebreak for another 12 MONTHS and she should possibly stay out of gymnastics entirely for another 3 months. She has really struggled with not getting to progress with skills like her teammates, and now I am unsure whether she will be able to compete at all this year. Not looking for medical advice, just stories of return to gymnastics after breaks, gymnastics brings my daughter so much joy and we are hoping she gets to keep that.

I’m so sorry. My younger daughter broke both bones in her right arm also (age 5) completely thru last year August 1st. It was going to be her first year competing. She did get to come back and start things like hangs and pull ups on bars at the end of October. We saw a sports PT who helped her and advised the gym on how to let her progress to weight bearing. She started with things like bear crawls then partial handstands with her legs supported. It took a while to get her strength back but she was back enough to compete all 4 events at her first meet in January (5 months after the break) so kids who aren’t teens and adults do really seem to heal faster. She didn’t attend practice for almost 2 months and took a couple more to get her strength back so is repeating her level this season but it will all be ok.

Not sure that helps but that was our experience. It stunk but she overcame it. You daughter will too.

 

[Pfiga]

My older daughter had a complicated fracture involving two bones in her arm (both humerus and ulna, right in the joint, as she fell from bars and landed straight on her elbow). She had a full-arm cast for a month, with her arm bent at the elbow, followed by the same strict activity restrictions as you describe. Her main constraint turned out to be that she could not fully straighten her arm for about six months (after long and painful PT), and she could only start strengthening it after that. By that point, she had decided to quit gymnastics and eventually switched to another sport.
My main advice would be to follow the doctors' directions, and don't rush things, as you really don't want to risk a rebreak (or breaking her other arm as she tries to compensate for the initially broken and weaker one). Focus on doing the PT and the parts of training that she is allowed to do (like conditioning and stretching).
Best of luck, I hope things turn out well for her!

 

[GymnastMomX2]

My daughter broke her radial head end of February, was cleared after 7 weeks, and was fully back training her level 10 skills by end of May. Good luck to your daughter, being injured is never easy, but these kids are so resilient.

 

[ZB55]

I've been through 5 broken arms between my own gymnast and non-gymnast kids (including one re-break for the non-gymnast), not to mention seeing a couple teammates go through it over the years, and from this experience I would just make sure you are going to an experienced PEDIATRIC orthopedic practice. If you aren't then it would not hurt to get a second opinion from a pediatric specialist. We received FAR better care and advice for nutrition during healing, incremental return to sport, etc plus even pediatric physical therapy once we switched practices for break #4. The care was really night and day compared to the general orthopedic practice.

I've seen kids get cleared in the ranges of 8 weeks to 6 months depending on the location and severity of the break(s) in age ranges 7-13 (all pre-puberty). Prior to being fully cleared, the pediatric specialist had given instructions of what was ok each week such as hanging, non-impact weight bearing such as wall handstand, etc.

You could also ask the pediatric orthopedic if a brace to help protect against re-break would be appropriate in your daughter's case. In two situations, braces were recommended to be worn during sports for at least 6 months - one was a factory made wrist brace that was custom heat molded, the other was a totally custom made forearm brace.

Best wishes for your gymnast's recovery!

 

[Mel9n]

Not upper body - and definitely not as bad - but I broke my ankle during my Xcel Silver season - actually just before the season. I cracked my growth plate up into my bone (idk which bone specifically lol). I was in a boot and on crutches for 4 weeks, in a boot but walking for another 2, then in PT for another 6 weeks as I returned. I think it took about 13 or 14 weeks for me to be back at full strength. During the time I was out, about 2 weeks into being on crutches, I was doing conditioning and things. Once I could walk I was doing bars with a 2lbs weight on the other ankle, and flexibility. At one point I even learned to do cartwheels and roundoffs in the boot - against medical advice so I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. That's the most notable bone break. I've had some other stress fractures and some pretty bad sprains and tears but nothing else too major.

Thank you, it's good to see general timelines for return to full strength etc!

 

[superNova08]

Thank you, it's good to see general timelines for return to full strength etc!

Yea! I would say to get a more accurate timeline too talk to the coaches, they should have some experience with how it looks once fully cleared.

 

[Mel9n]

I've been through 5 broken arms between my own gymnast and non-gymnast kids (including one re-break for the non-gymnast), not to mention seeing a couple teammates go through it over the years, and from this experience I would just make sure you are going to an experienced PEDIATRIC orthopedic practice. If you aren't then it would not hurt to get a second opinion from a pediatric specialist. We received FAR better care and advice for nutrition during healing, incremental return to sport, etc plus even pediatric physical therapy once we switched practices for break #4. The care was really night and day compared to the general orthopedic practice.

I've seen kids get cleared in the ranges of 8 weeks to 6 months depending on the location and severity of the break(s) in age ranges 7-13 (all pre-puberty). Prior to being fully cleared, the pediatric specialist had given instructions of what was ok each week such as hanging, non-impact weight bearing such as wall handstand, etc.

You could also ask the pediatric orthopedic if a brace to help protect against re-break would be appropriate in your daughter's case. In two situations, braces were recommended to be worn during sports for at least 6 months - one was a factory made wrist brace that was custom heat molded, the other was a totally custom made forearm brace.

Best wishes for your gymnast's recovery!

Thank you so much, we will definitely look into a pediatric specialist. 5 breaks, wow! Fingers crossed this is our only one haha.

 

[Mel9n]

I’m so sorry. My younger daughter broke both bones in her right arm also (age 5) completely thru last year August 1st. It was going to be her first year competing. She did get to come back and start things like hangs and pull ups on bars at the end of October. We saw a sports PT who helped her and advised the gym on how to let her progress to weight bearing. She started with things like bear crawls then partial handstands with her legs supported. It took a while to get her strength back but she was back enough to compete all 4 events at her first meet in January (5 months after the break) so kids who aren’t teens and adults do really seem to heal faster. She didn’t attend practice for almost 2 months and took a couple more to get her strength back so is repeating her level this season but it will all be ok.

Not sure that helps but that was our experience. It stunk but she overcame it. You daughter will too.

Thanks, so scary at such a young age, what a tough 5 year old! Thats awesome she was able to work her way back in 5 months, fingers crossed that is our experience too!

 

[Mel9n]

My older daughter had a complicated fracture involving two bones in her arm (both humerus and ulna, right in the joint, as she fell from bars and landed straight on her elbow). She had a full-arm cast for a month, with her arm bent at the elbow, followed by the same strict activity restrictions as you describe. Her main constraint turned out to be that she could not fully straighten her arm for about six months (after long and painful PT), and she could only start strengthening it after that. By that point, she had decided to quit gymnastics and eventually switched to another sport.
My main advice would be to follow the doctors' directions, and don't rush things, as you really don't want to risk a rebreak (or breaking her other arm as she tries to compensate for the initially broken and weaker one). Focus on doing the PT and the parts of training that she is allowed to do (like conditioning and stretching).
Best of luck, I hope things turn out well for her!

Thank you! That sounds like a super painful injury and pt process We are definitely working on strengthening and getting more clarification from her doctor, absolutely don't want to go through all this again with a rebreak!

 

[RALG]

Thanks, so scary at such a young age, what a tough 5 year old! Thats awesome she was able to work her way back in 5 months, fingers crossed that is our experience too!

She actually did it at the gym she tried to do an aerial off a mat stack. Hope you all the best!

 

[Mel9n]

She actually did it at the gym she tried to do an aerial off a mat stack. Hope you all the best!

Oh yikes, they certainly are fearless at that age! Thank you!

 

[californiagymmom]

Hello, I would love your return to gymnastics after broken bones stories My 9 year old NGA Silver broke both bones in her arm at the end of May, she was in a full arm cast for 6 weeks followed by 4 weeks of strict activity restrictions (ie no running/jumping as she might fall and rebreak.) She has been attending team camp and practice, doing hours of conditioning, working on splits etc. We just had a scheduled xray to be cleared for activity and were told she could do gymnastics with the exception of load bearing/twisting moves ie cartwheels for another two weeks, then could add those in assuming there was no pain, without coming back for another xray. We scheduled private lessons, spoke with coaches and then today got a note from her doctor saying she DOES need to come back for another xray and that there is a risk of rebreak for another 12 MONTHS and she should possibly stay out of gymnastics entirely for another 3 months. She has really struggled with not getting to progress with skills like her teammates, and now I am unsure whether she will be able to compete at all this year. Not looking for medical advice, just stories of return to gymnastics after breaks, gymnastics brings my daughter so much joy and we are hoping she gets to keep that.

hi Mel9n,
I'm just writing to say that I completely understand your pain as a mom watching her daughter sidelined from a sport she loves - and specifically gymnastics, where the training never stops. When my daughter was 7 years old, 3 weeks before the start of her first JO level 3 competition, she broke both bones in her lower right arm. Same as you, we were told 6 weeks in a cast and no weight-bearing activity for a while after. She continued to go to practice and work on everything else, but wasn't able to compete for the season. It was heartbreaking at the time, and I still remember how hard it was for me (and it's been ten years since this happened!). But the good news is kids repeat levels all the time for various reasons and eventually will get back on track - as long as they don't push through injury in ways that are unsafe. My daughter has since moved on from gymnastics but I know all the hours she spent in the gym have been a critical part of her emotional, athletic, and personal development. Best of luck to you and your daughter!

 

[Mel9n]

Yes I guess we can count ourselves lucky she did it after competition season and not right before, that must have been so hard for your daughter It's nice to hear 'light at the end of the tunnel' stories though, so thank you! My hope is just that she can recover mentally and physically and grow from it. We are committed to going slow per doctors orders because her health is more important than a sport, it has just been hard to watch her lose confidence and joy by missing out on doing what she loves (nice to know it's not uncommon to repeat levels if needed!) Fingers crossed her next xray goes well!