Parents Full ACl + meniscus tear

[therandomgymnast1183]

Probably not the right place to post this but I’m curious

I am 16 years old, and an xcel diamond gymnast.

I do xcel because I wanted to do other sports when I got into high school. Currently I swim on the team and I throw javelin, triple jump, and pole vault.

Pole vault is the only sport I have a chance in going to college with. I vault 10 feet and my PR is 10’6. (dream school does not have a competitive track team, so I only have to vault 8’ to vault in college)

In february I had a total ACL tear and double meniscus tear. I was out of my track season (first year on varsity too :/) and gymnastic meet season.

Track season is wrapping up and that means I only have gymnastics now sports wise.

To my luck, I pushed too hard, and I retore my meniscus last week. Meaning I have to have another surgery and an even longer recovery. Annoying because I was a month ahead in PT too. Even without doing PT for 2 weeks from being hospitalized because my liver functions

Is there a chance I’ll be able to go back to gymnastics? I know my other sports are pretty much a given, and I will be able to go back

But i think my gymnastics career is done for. I have been a competitive gymnast since I was 8. I’m not too sure if I’m ready to give it up quite yet. Has anyone had a different experience with their kids? And if so, what did it look like.

Edited to fix grammar

 

[HopefulGymnast]

Not a similar situation, but I do have some thoughts:

Could you maybe see a PT specialised in gymnastics injuries to see if it'd be safe for you to eventually do gymnastics again? I really think only a doctor can help you determine that. What I do know is that it'll only maybe be possible if you're patient enough, not if you push and rush back into gymnastics.

If floor or vault are out of the question, would you consider becoming an event specialist for bars/beam if your gym allows it?
Would you consider doing less intense gymnastics just for fun, or working towards coaching?

 

[therandomgymnast1183]

Probably not the right place to post this but I’m curious

I am 16 years old, and an xcel diamond gymnast.

I do xcel because I wanted to do other sports when I got into high school. Currently I swim on the team and I throw javelin, triple jump, and pole vault.

Pole vault is the only sport I have a chance in going to college with. I vault 10 feet and my PR is 10’6. (dream school does not have a competitive track team, so I only have to vault 8’ to vault in college)

In february I had a total ACL tear and double meniscus tear. I was out of my track season (first year on varsity too :/) and gymnastic meet season.

Track season is wrapping up and that means I only have gymnastics now sports wise.

To my luck, I pushed too hard, and I retore my meniscus last week. Meaning I have to have another surgery and an even longer recovery. Annoying because I was a month ahead in PT too. Even without doing PT for 2 weeks from being hospitalized because my liver functions

Is there a chance I’ll be able to go back to gymnastics? I know my other sports are pretty much a given, and I will be able to go back

But i think my gymnastics career is done for. I have been a competitive gymnast since I was 8. I’m not too sure if I’m ready to give it up quite yet. Has anyone had a different experience with their kids? And if so, what did it look like.

Edited to fix grammar

I want to add and say
Before I switched to xcel, the last level I competed was 8 when I was 14, so I’ve done diamond now for 2 years.

 

[therandomgymnast1183]

Not a similar situation, but I do have some thoughts:

Could you maybe see a PT specialised in gymnastics injuries to see if it'd be safe for you to eventually do gymnastics again? I really think only a doctor can help you determine that. What I do know is that it'll only maybe be possible if you're patient enough, not if you push and rush back into gymnastics.

If floor or vault are out of the question, would you consider becoming an event specialist for bars/beam if your gym allows it?
Would you consider doing less intense gymnastics just for fun, or working towards coaching?

my PT isn’t even clearing me to swim breast stroke in my high school season which starts in august
Sucks because I am a breast stroker. So I doubt he’ll even clear me to do any gymnastics for a while to even do beam or bars.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

So I doubt he’ll even clear me to do any gymnastics for a while to even do beam or bars.

It depends a lot what your goals are but my take would be: you have your whole life ahead of you to do gymnastics. Unless you have specific college goals, there's literally no reason to rush. Take the time you need until your PT clears you: better to miss out on a while now than to miss out for your entire adult life because you messed up your body too badly.
Have you asked your PT if they think you'll be able to return eventually?
Have you asked if they have any idea about the timeline of return to sport?
Do you have a plan for active recovery? I think this is very important, not just physically but also mentally. Athletes benefit from feeling like they're working on the problem.

 

[observantmom]

Prefacing this with I'm not a doctor. I believe you could definitely come back but only if you are willing to give yourself the full rest period necessary to do so which COULD be a full year. You say you were a month ahead in PT - not exactly sure what that means but it COULD be an indicator that you were trying to rush the comeback. Take the time off that you need for a complete recover and then reassess. No reason you can't come back to it in club gymnastics in high school or even in college. Good luck!

 

[bookworm]

I’m going to say it’s unlikely you will be able to be comfortable competing in gymnastics with your injury history… my daughter had a similar injury (ACL, MCL, meniscus) and had numerous surgeries and years of PT but in the end, the knee was shot. She became a successful diver.

 

[CoachPow]

I've had numerous athletes (gymnastics, track, and football) return from ACL and/or meniscus tears and be very successful. Timelines will 100% depend on the surgeon and PT. The meniscus can be much longer due to the physiology of the knee. Finding a surgeon that has real experience with athletes in gymnastics (ask around, don't just take their word!) is huge! I worked with a level 9/10 from a neighboring school who was back to yurchenko pikes and double backs in just over four months after a soccer ACL, and others that take 18+ months to be cleared. No matter the sport, the single biggest thing I look for is how comfortable they look taking off and landing on both feet equally. Favoring the good leg poses all kinds of problems-in all sports. Some athletes have no problem, and some never feel comfortable landing on the bad leg. A good surgeon can usually get you back to or near 100%, but make sure the PT regimen has you comfortable in your sport-specific movements.