WAG BWO BWO and back pain.

[UnoMas]

My DD also developed major issues with this series after tweaking her back on a tumbling pass. She went to a doc who confirmed it was muscular and pretty much only affected by BWO's. She took about 3 weeks completely off BWO's, and now only does a couple a week right before a meet. She's trying to get HS BHS series in the meantime. For now the reduction in numbers has helped her immensely. She is also doing some PT for her back and exercises at home.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Again, http://www.hybridperspective.com/

Please, read through this site. This guy is a gymnastics coach and a PT. Lots of information there, especially for the coaches.

Thank you! I've read that site many times. It's very cool. Also makes me understand how little we actually know and how much we could know.

 

[RAMS]

My dd had back pain with bwo. She did bhs in level 6 and is doing bhs bhs series as a level 7. Pain started when she was 8 and she will be 10 Saturday. No more bwo and no more back pain.

 

[lorilei4]

My daughter had a bone scan to rule out the stress fracture. Same age and same situation. For us there was nothing abnormal about her bone scan.

 

[StringBean'sMom]

Ditto to what everyone else has said - we went thru this when my girl was training level 5 last year and she was obsessing just the single BWO on beam over and over and over. She had pain for a few weeks that we tried "working thru" with ice/ibuprofen/Etc but it didn't improve. Had the MRI and was diagnosed just muscular injury thankfully but her doc was worried about stress fractures initially. We were really lucky to get a pediatric sport medicine doc who is a former gymnast (so she "gets" the gymnast mind and body completely!)

My girl had complete back rest for two weeks (nothing but bars, really), slow return to training with no BWO or bridges for the next 2-3, then limited return to BWO (not more than 5 in a practice between floor and beam) before full clearance. She felt nearly 100% better after the full time off (as painful as it was mentally to do nothing much at practice)

I really think her 6 weeks of PT was the most helpful. They worked on improving shoulder flexibility so she didn't compensate with her lower back and worked core strength and hip flexor flexibility (I think?) so she could support the lower back better. She went twice a week and had a list of daily exercises. She still needs to be careful about excessive BWO but can do them now.

 

[bogwoppit]

Many of you know about my dd and her back pain with BWO's, that back pain that eventually always hurt. After years of misdiagnosis and xrays that showed nothing a dr finally ordered oblique xrays. That led to a diagnosis of bilateral stress fractures with slippage. Many years of physio and restrictions did nothing to heal, so surgery was the final option. That was 5 years ago. She still has back pain, she still has limits on her sports.

My advice is do not do anything that causes her back pain until you have seen a dr and even after it. If it hurts it is not a good thing. Backs are for life, gymnastics is just a kids sport. If a coach seems to be acting like they are an MD then they need to be told to back off.

I would not wish my dd's back issues on anyone, and it all came from gymnastics.

 

[flippinam]

I know we always say to trust the coaches, but she has to listen to her body first. My current coaches are great, but I had a coach for my first few years of gym that was not. I have never been able to do BWO's on beam without going totally crooked. She would force me to make 10 in a practice, which meant 60 or more attempts. She wouldn't let me work progressions and only allowed me to do them on the high beam, twisting off repeatedly. When I told her my back was bothering me, she would just roll her eyes at me.
She finally listened when one day it got so bad that I could not walk or even stand up straight due to the sharp pain in my lower back. It ended up being a disc injury (not a full herniation. I can't remember exactly what it was). I had to be out of the gym completely for 6 weeks and on limited training for another 3.
A major back injury is not worth the five tenths. Stop doing them for now. Work on the CW-RO, and get an MRI! Backs are not something to mess around with.

 

[AWOL]

Two girls at our gym had the same pain, one went for an X-ray which did not show anything but doc had her have a MRI. Found a back stress fracture. This was when she was level 5. She rested for several months and then started restrictive practice for awhile. After 4 months she was back on full practice. She is now a Level 9.
The other girl, same level, had a X-ray only which did not show anything. She went back to practice and it did not inprove. She is now finished. She cannot do any sports now. She in fact did have a back stress fracture.

 

[duyetanh]

To the OP, I hope none of this scares you too much! We aren't even at this stage yet, but it does help me to read about it. Thank you for having the presence of mind to post here. I am so sorry about your dd's pain, and hope this thread has given you some useful information.

 

[Mom2-4]

Thanks all for the info I have looked at the hybrid perspective website fantastic info. She will do the CW/ RO for now. I plan to take her to a well known specialist that works with Gedderts Gym and also the local big ten school. She sees a chiro that believe it or not owns a Gym, talk about job security. He is very familiar with gymnastics and has given her exercises to do at home and at the gym. Just having a hard time convincing DD to do them.12 y/o thinks it should happen instantly. Thanks everyone I will keep you updated.

 

[gymjunkie]

If you have any idea what we were doing wrong please tell me! Now I'm coaching younger and lower lever girls in another gym and I would love to know what kind of skills and exercises to limit and what to do to prevent such injuries)

Not sure, but I have a team physician, PT & ATC. I have the PTs and ATCs drop in at practice about 4X/year to make sure we are doing everything in the healthiest way possible. They have improved our warm-up, pre-hab and conditioning with helpful suggestions. The physician comes 1/year to give a talk to parents and do a coaches training and he also watches practice while he is there (mostly for entertainment, because he likes to watch the kids he treats). It wasn't hard to get these people to do this, I basically just asked them! In return they get about 90% of our "injury business."

 

[Aero]

Not sure, but I have a team physician, PT & ATC. I have the PTs and ATCs drop in at practice about 4X/year to make sure we are doing everything in the healthiest way possible. They have improved our warm-up, pre-hab and conditioning with helpful suggestions. The physician comes 1/year to give a talk to parents and do a coaches training and he also watches practice while he is there (mostly for entertainment, because he likes to watch the kids he treats). It wasn't hard to get these people to do this, I basically just asked them! In return they get about 90% of our "injury business."

That's fantastic. I feel every gym with a team program should have affiliations with health professionals. Gymnastics coaches do not know everything. The way I figure it, the more people I have on my side, the better my program will be, not to mention safer. I recently established a mutually beneficial relationship with a sports medicine doctor and I'm going to have her come in soon. Best of all, she used to be a gymnast! I'm very excited to learn about how everything I'm doing is probably wrong or inefficient in some way! I have no problem being humbled and educated, and medical stuff is very interesting to me.

 

[duyetanh]

That's fantastic. I feel every gym with a team program should have affiliations with health professionals. Gymnastics coaches do not know everything. The way I figure it, the more people I have on my side, the better my program will be, not to mention safer. I recently established a mutually beneficial relationship with a sports medicine doctor and I'm going to have her come in soon. Best of all, she used to be a gymnast! I'm very excited to learn about how everything I'm doing is probably wrong or inefficient in some way! I have no problem being humbled and educated, and medical stuff is very interesting to me.

Wow. Would you consider a move to our neck of the woods...?

 

[Aero]

Wow. Would you consider a move to our neck of the woods...?

It sounds like you have stubborn, my-way-or-the-highway coaches. I've come to learn that attitudes like that provide no room for personal growth.

 

[duyetanh]

It sounds like you have stubborn, my-way-or-the-highway coaches. I've come to learn that attitudes like that provide no room for personal growth.

We don't really...hard to explain...will pm you...

 

[eucoach]

I'm a coach. I watch my gymnasts carefully when they are working front or back walkovers and ask them if they are in pain if I supsect they are. If they are (if only a little bit), I don't let them do any more back walkovers until they are completely pain-free. Sadly, where I live, the back walkover is a compulsory skill in the floor and beam routine at the same level. I don't let them compete it if they cannot do it pain-free and gladly take the 2 p. deduction for it.

I hate this skill - I just don't think it's suited for every body-type and it's pointless and dangerous to force it onto gymnasts who are not built for it.

 

[GymmieC]

Take your DD To see the doctor. Bring the note or report from the doctor to the coach. Do not allow for her coach to say anything negative about your DD. Lower back pain is very common in gymnasts especially those who are growing. Do not leave any stone unturned because if you do your daughter's pain could lead to something worse.

 

[Mom2-4]

I know this has been covered many times. But any suggestions. 12 y/o is doing this series this weekend at her first l 7 meet. She has been working it a lot lately with a lot of back pain. Stretching and Motrin help a little. She had normal back X-rays about 6 weeks ago. It is starting to affect vault as well. I don't know what to suggest for her for this week for practice and at home. She used to have a BHS on beam but hasn't worked it in such a long time it is not an option right now. Beam has gotten so bad she just bails. Should she scratch. HC has said nothing to me at all even though she knows about the issue. DD has iced at practice multiple times. She and HC have discussed RO BT for next year. But I don't want to see her struggle with the pain all season. Suggestions please.

Update on previous back pain thread. Took DD to a Peds ortho about her back pain x ray again. Blew us off basically. HC had her switch beam series to CW-RO. It took about 3 weeks back pain gone. All other events improving. I am so convinced that BWO should be trained and gotten through as quickly as possible especially during periods of rapid growth. I feel bad that my daughter dealt with skill limiting back pain for such a long time. It's not worth it,I wish it was not a compulsory requirement. Rant over. I am also glad HC listened to DD and changed the series. It was failing anyway. Thanks for the advice to stop before any permanent damage was done.