Women BWO and lower back injury/stress fractures

[JoyAvenueMom]

There are two girls at Kipper's gym who are out with nagging back injuries. (They both moved to our gym post-injury) I am wondering if there are warning signs or ways in which parents can/should advocate for their kiddo regarding this type of injury? Kipper has started working BWO/BHS on beam. Her training hours will increased a lot this summer, and that is the one thing I worry about the most. She has a nice BWO and LOVES doing them. However, her shoulders are not as flexible as other girls, and I worry about the strain of doing too many. (too many for HER, not too many in general). I don't want to interfere with coaching, but I want to do anything I can to keep her healthy for her lifetime. Any thoughts?

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I would love to hear people's thought about this subject too. In our gym some kind off stress fracture in lower back seems to be more norm than an exception for our higher level girls. I would want to cry when my girls come to me saying their backs hurt when they have done several back walkovers. My solution was to minimize the amount of back walkovers they do per practice and maximize the time we use doing shoulder stretches. The more inflexible ones don't do back walkovers in their beam routines even if it's a required element. They compete without it and take a deduction.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

@gymisforeveryone this subject seems to be a hot potato. Lots of views, but no one posting. LOL

 

[coach.e]

Ask her to ask her coach if they can stretch her shoulders at the beginning of practice everyday.

A few things I've seen..the more scared a kid is, the more they're going to have to do.
For example: Coach says everybody do 5 back walkover flipflops and then move on to full turns. The kid who isn't scared gets up does 5 and moves on with life. The kid who's scared does 3 or 4 back walkovers to warm up on the high beam. Then does one connection. Then maybe does another 2 back walkovers before she connects it again. By the time this child is done she has done 15 back walkovers or so where the other kid only did 5.
So if your daughter is less scared then she's probably going to end up doing a lot less of them.

Besides this..ice, ibuprofen and ask coaches for a day off of back walkovers on days that are hurting. And be grateful for the day when she gets to level 8/9 or so and back walkovers are in the past.

 

[Trixiebelle]

We have been down this road alot. DD had her stress fracture 3 years ago right after L6. Lots and lots of BWO that year. She has had 2 flair ups since. She is under the supervision of a Ped Orthopedic spine specialist and currently out - again - with back pain. It really is a hot button - DD's gym has had 3 gymnasts with this injury this season alone. Shoulder flexibility + hip flexor stretching + lots of planks are her only exercise right now and she is hoping to go back to gym next week after a 4 week hiatus.

I use to believe it was primarily BWO's but seeing as DD hasn't done them in 3 years, I think that some of the crazy strength exercised the current coach has the team doing. When DD goes back it will only be if the gym adhere's to her new work out/strength routine. No more archups (5 x a week x30), squats (too many leading to leg exhaustion then bad form) and box jumps. She is working with a Physical therapist to address strength building in those areas.

Anecdotally - in our experience - each incidence of back injury has preceded a growth spurt.

 

[LJL07]

Thanks for asking this. I just asked sort of the same question. I am very worried about my daughter's back too.

 

[BlairBob]

It's important to watch for the kids with tight shoulders doing BWO on beam because they will have to make up for it with lower back flexibility besides lots of repetitions.

This is why you see the backward roll and BHS as options. BHS is a lot easier on the back. Fellow coach couldn't do a BWO anymore in optionals but competed BHS successfully after a back injury.

 

[iwannacoach]

I would love to hear people's thought about this subject too. In our gym some kind off stress fracture in lower back seems to be more norm than an exception for our higher level girls. I would want to cry when my girls come to me saying their backs hurt when they have done several back walkovers. My solution was to minimize the amount of back walkovers they do per practice and maximize the time we use doing shoulder stretches. The more inflexible ones don't do back walkovers in their beam routines even if it's a required element. They compete without it and take a deduction.

I like this!

 

[iwannacoach]

We have been down this road alot. DD had her stress fracture 3 years ago right after L6. Lots and lots of BWO that year. She has had 2 flair ups since. She is under the supervision of a Ped Orthopedic spine specialist and currently out - again - with back pain. It really is a hot button - DD's gym has had 3 gymnasts with this injury this season alone. Shoulder flexibility + hip flexor stretching + lots of planks are her only exercise right now and she is hoping to go back to gym next week after a 4 week hiatus.

I use to believe it was primarily BWO's but seeing as DD hasn't done them in 3 years, I think that some of the crazy strength exercised the current coach has the team doing. When DD goes back it will only be if the gym adhere's to her new work out/strength routine. No more archups (5 x a week x30), squats (too many leading to leg exhaustion then bad form) and box jumps. She is working with a Physical therapist to address strength building in those areas.

Anecdotally - in our experience - each incidence of back injury has preceded a growth spurt.

Hate seeing kids going through this. You said she's out again..... so how many weeks were lost to rest and modified work? One of the pitfalls of injury is the rest it takes to heal results in getting weaker, but it seems the band marches on with respect to training ever more difficult skills.

Go slow and stick with the Doc and PT plans.