Women Gymnast with JRA??

[LJL07]

Does anyone have any experience with gymnasts with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis? My daughter is training level 8 and was diagnosed this year after an injury that just would not heal despite casting and PT. The casting actually made it worse because it immobilized the joints. Not seeking medical advice. Just wondering if it is even worth it to continue. She already had to sit out her level 8 season this past year while we sorted out the injury. Her goal was college, but I am not sure this is realistic anymore. She just turned 11. Any experiences shared would be helpful.

 

[tomtnt]

A good friend recently was diagnosed with JRA (now actually referred to as JIA - juvenile idiopathic arthritis).

The goal of treatment now is complete remission and many kids are able to achieve that and continue regular lives with current medicines.

It sounds like your daughter has only 1 joint affected? if so, treatment option may include either direct injection instead of systemic meds.

She is young. I think once they treat the acute inflammation and see is she has complete remission, she can definitely has time on her side.

 

[LJL07]

A good friend recently was diagnosed with JRA (now actually referred to as JIA - juvenile idiopathic arthritis).

The goal of treatment now is complete remission and many kids are able to achieve that and continue regular lives with current medicines.

It sounds like your daughter has only 1 joint affected? if so, treatment option may include either direct injection instead of systemic meds.

She is young. I think once they treat the acute inflammation and see is she has complete remission, she can definitely has time on her side.

Yes, it actually is called JIA. I am finding a lot of people don't know what that is. The small bones in her right foot were affected. This was made significantly worse by casting it for so long, but we didn't know it was JIA. They did start her on systemic meds, but as far as that goes, we are looking into a second opinion. The confusing piece of all of this is that we are getting conflicting information about loading the foot. She was doing soft surfaces only and doing quite well and regaining full mobility. One doctor advised staying off the foot for vault and tumbling including soft surfaces for 10 weeks while we wait for medication to kick in and labwork to hopefully go down to normal. Another says to keep her moving on the soft surfaces provided there is no pain. She doesn't have pain--only stiffness. We are throwing our hands up in the air in confusion. Thanks for your response!

 

[John]

I am sorry your daughter has to experience this.

A gymnast from DD was diagnosed at 14 I think. Toni Ann Williams. I spoke to her mom about it. She informed me the doctors informed her to keep moving and to continue developing strength. . Nothing more was done. Possibly because this was some years ago.

Everyone has different reactions to a diagnoses. Hopefully your family finds what works for your DD. Toni Ann Williams is finishing her gymnastics career this year at CAL. Maybe knowing that someone else was able to continue can give your daughter some hope.

 

[gymgal]

There was a parent on CB within the past year whose dd was in the middle of diagnosis. They weren't sure what specific autoimmune she had but was having issues with painful and swollen joints. If I recall, the gymnast was training L5. I will try to search for the member for you.

I am an adult with JRA, initially started as reactive arthritis. When I was little, the consensus was to avoid all sports as it would aggravate the disease but with all the meds available now and the research showing that more activity is better than less, and the consensus is to encourage sports while closely monitoring symptoms. The biggest issue for gymnastics is the intensity level both with hours and with physical impact from tumbling. If your dd can achieve medicated remission, then there shouldn't be any reason she can't keep going through the JO track. However, if she has flares, these will affect her ability to maintain and progress in her skills. In that case, moving to a lesser intensity track like xcel may be better or a less intense sport in terms of pounding. Honestly, it is too early to make a decision on this. Hopefully the meds will work great for her and she will have no other problems.

ETA: the other parent is tpmom and she is still active. If she doesn't respond here, you may want to reach out to her privately.

 

[LJL07]

Thank you both. I guess they consider what she is having now a “flare” because of her lab work. I just feel bad for her because she sat out the entire season already because of the foot injury, had finally recovered most of her skills, and now may have to sit out again while we wait for the medicine to bring these numbers down. So frustrating.

 

[Amanda]

I just sent you a long private message. I wanted to reply briefly here as well as I have used the search function a lot and maybe someone else will find this helpful.

My daughter was diagnosed with JIA when she was 4. She has a history of responding well to medication. Her rheumatologist has been ok with her gymnastics participation. We are in a challenging situation now where we are trying to determine whether a significant amount of inflammation in her SI joint is gymnastics related and/or arthritis related. It makes it hard to know how to proceed as they would be treated differently. We are waiting to see if we can get some clarity after medication and rest.

Hoping both of our daughter can get back to what they love soon!

 

[Amanda]

I am sorry your daughter has to experience this.

A gymnast from DD was diagnosed at 14 I think. Toni Ann Williams. I spoke to her mom about it. She informed me the doctors informed her to keep moving and to continue developing strength. . Nothing more was done. Possibly because this was some years ago.

Everyone has different reactions to a diagnoses. Hopefully your family finds what works for your DD. Toni Ann Williams is finishing her gymnastics career this year at CAL. Maybe knowing that someone else was able to continue can give your daughter some hope.

Thanks for posting this. My daughter and I looked her up and it was encouraging to hear about her success!

 

[tpMom]

I sent you a PM.

 

[Texasmomof3]

I was diagnosed with JRA at age 12. After a flare so bad I couldn't walk for a month in 8th grade, I made a full recovery and was actually a three sport varsity athlete through high school. The one thing I always did, even in the middle of a flare, was swimming. It really helped with pain.

I wish your daughter all the best. I hope she can work her way through the flare and continue with the sport she loves.