Parents Optionals out with injuries

[stillhoping]

I am wondering what a normal injury rate is for the optional levels. I am estimating that about 1/4 to 1/6 of our level 7-10 gymnasts have had to miss an event or meet this season because of an injury. What fraction of the optional gymnasts at your gym are injured?

 

[M2Abi]

5/9 of our optionals have had an injury at some point in the last year.

 

[sce]

We only have a few optional girls. One has a broken finger in December, happened at gym. She is back and now one is out with an ankle injury, but it's not clear it was gym related.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

One of ours missed one meet completely because of a leg injury which happened in gym but has since been discovered was less serious than originally assumed, so she will be back in action before the next meet. Another one had to miss a meet partially because of a botched landing during the meet.
Other than that I think they have all been able to physically do each meet so far (out of 15-20girls).
I would say most of them have some sort of "owies" whether it be a twisted ankle here, some Osgood Schlatters there, a sore back over there etc, but nothing that keeps them benched.
Knock on wood.

 

[ascarter1]

We have 12 girls (lv 8-10...didn't count 6/7). Right now six are injured (unable to compete right now) my daughter being one of them! I think it's very common, unfortunately, to see an increase in injuries as you move up the levels!

 

[dancingimmie]

We have 17 in levels 7-10 and not a single injury right now, knock on wood. We had three out in the fall but all are currently healthy. Yay!!!

 

[tuckfull]

We have a similar number of optionals but not so lucky with the injuries. Season just started in January and one girl has missed all three meets so far for a leg injury. Five others have scratched different events due to smaller injuries, or coming back from bigger injuries and still not quite ready to compete all four events.

 

[raenndrops]

Coming back from injuries involving a boot - 2. One from ice skating over Christmas break. One from cheer leading.
Coming back from tweaked neck / concussion - one... Wasn't 100% healthy, but came to gym practice anyways. Went to do her ROBHSBT toward the end of her floor rotation... Got hurt on her BHS (a repeating L6 who tends to normally hurt her ankle and had only been back for 4 weeks at the time).
So 3/9 L6+, but only 1 happened in the gym.

 

[AgingHippie]

I only know the specific numbers for our Level 7. We have 13 and so far this season 6 have missed meets at least one meet for injuries. 3 are out for the rest of the season.

I don't know the exact number for L8 but I think only 3 of 12 competed at the last meet. All injuries.

 

[gymdoc]

we have 12 Level 6-7. One out with mono (won't compete at all this season), the other out with a broken finger
If I count other major injuries in the last year, we have one stitches in leg (beam fall), 2 sprained ankles/foot, one knee sprain, and one broken ankle.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

We have 40+ in Levels 6 and up. At one point this season, every single 12yo was injured, and most of the 13yos as well. Only one kid under 12 was injured, regardless of level. Some are out for the season, others have missed a meet or two. After they go through puberty, it seems rare for girls to compete a whole season without an injury. So, we have 10/11 yo L8's and L9's that are fine, and 13y0 L6's and L7's that are hurt. Rapid growth is a big risk in itself, and when you couple it with progression to harder skills, it's a recipe for injury. Thankfully, most of them aren't serious, and often they don't even happen at gym!

 

[ascarter1]

We have 40+ in Levels 6 and up. At one point this season, every single 12yo was injured, and most of the 13yos as well. Only one kid under 12 was injured, regardless of level. Some are out for the season, others have missed a meet or two. After they go through puberty, it seems rare for girls to compete a whole season without an injury. So, we have 10/11 yo L8's and L9's that are fine, and 13y0 L6's and L7's that are hurt. Rapid growth is a big risk in itself, and when you couple it with progression to harder skills, it's a recipe for injury. Thankfully, most of them aren't serious, and often they don't even happen at gym!

Yes yes yes! My dd has grown 8+ inches in less than 2 years! 3 broken toes since August (the last one was serious-still booted, drs app tomorrow...praying she's released).

 

[munchkin3]

[emoji1317]
Mine is 12, she still itty bitty, but grew 2 1/2 inches.....she's 54 inches and 68 lbs.......
She has suffered a whole year with severs and overall, I'll take it vs. stress fractures, or something worse.......
Many of our 12-13 yo are injured.....some are manageable, others are serious......spondy etc.......we have 5 girls out of 40.
I am praying mine can navigate the puberty thing safely!
[emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317]

 

[duyetanh]

We have 12 girls (lv 8-10...didn't count 6/7). Right now six are injured (unable to compete right now) my daughter being one of them! I think it's very common, unfortunately, to see an increase in injuries as you move up the levels!

Ugh! I am so sorry. What happened? Ok, just read. Ouch! Toes are a killer...

 

[ascarter1]

Ugh! I am so sorry. What happened? Ok, just read. Ouch! Toes are a killer...

The first was pinky toe, hit it on the low bar when doing giants. The second was the other pinky toe, a teammate stepped on it. The last was January 2nd, beam dismounts. Landed her dismount with feet side by side, toes rolled under and snapped the big toe joint and top of the 1st metatarsal. The metatarsal is healed, the joint is healing. We go tomorrow to check progress. Hoping to be released...4 1/2 weeks till state! She will be so disappointed if she doesn't make regionals this year!

 

[duyetanh]

[emoji1317]
Mine is 12, she still itty bitty, but grew 2 1/2 inches.....she's 54 inches and 68 lbs.......
She has suffered a whole year with severs and overall, I'll take it vs. stress fractures, or something worse.......
Many of our 12-13 yo are injured.....some are manageable, others are serious......spondy etc.......we have 5 girls out of 40.
I am praying mine can navigate the puberty thing safely!
[emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317]

Omg. Five out of 40 are all that is not injured????????

 

[duyetanh]

The first was pinky toe, hit it on the low bar when doing giants. The second was the other pinky toe, a teammate stepped on it. The last was January 2nd, beam dismounts. Landed her dismount with feet side by side, toes rolled under and snapped the big toe joint and top of the 1st metatarsal. The metatarsal is healed, the joint is healing. We go tomorrow to check progress. Hoping to be released...4 1/2 weeks till state! She will be so disappointed if she doesn't make regionals this year!

Argh! Talk about bad luck. But she has hit the trinity, so therefore she is done. Thinking good healing thoughts for her!!!

 

[dancingimmie]

[emoji1317]
Mine is 12, she still itty bitty, but grew 2 1/2 inches.....she's 54 inches and 68 lbs.......
She has suffered a whole year with severs and overall, I'll take it vs. stress fractures, or something worse.......
Many of our 12-13 yo are injured.....some are manageable, others are serious......spondy etc.......we have 5 girls out of 40.
I am praying mine can navigate the puberty thing safely!
[emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317][emoji1317]

Wow...

 

[catova]

Our optional injuries appear to fall into a few categories: 1) the 'growth related' ones, which seem to be the girls 12 - 14 yo who have the stress fracture/growth plate injuries. 2)L 9- L10's with the chronic hip/knee/other joint/ back issues. My DD falls into the first group. Finished L7 right after turning 12 yo, at which point she was 54.5"/68 lbs...L7 was fine, injury free. But in the subsequent 18 months, she had multiple fractures at the wrist growth plate, one fractured foot, and multiple 'gymnast wrist' injuries. She grew almost 7 inches between turning 12 and now (a few months from turning 14, 85 lbs). Rapid growth + the constant pounding is a problem. She was a slow grower ages 10 - 12 (1 - 1.5 inches/yr) and I wonder if her growth had been more gradual, would she have had so many problems. As for the second group of injuries, it seems like more than half of our L9's/10's have the 'can pull through the season with ice/chiro/PT/ meds' but their issues don't really ever go away. It also seems like the girls who hit L9/10 at earlier ages (middle school) and who thus have been doing these really tough skills longer have more problems, but just my observation at one gym. I know a few girls who didn't hit L9/10 until high school and they don't have the chronic issues (yet).