WAG Practicing and tumbling with a cast??

[Momofthree]

Coaches, do you allow your gymnasts to practice and tumble with a cast? I have seen plenty of kids at my dd's gym tumble on the floor with casts on their arms and work on beam. Personally, I think it is dangerous and could lead to yet another injury. Wondering if it is common. Parents, do you see this at your gym?

 

[emilykatherine]

My coaches don't doesn't matter what happened unless it's a toe or a finger but an arm or leg defiantly not because you could fall and put that arm behind you and the leg would be self explanatory

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

Definitely not at our gym. NOT.

ETA: they come to part of every training, for conditioning, etc. and as they heal they do more and more. But no tumbling with casts!!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Momofthree: Hard question to answer without mores specifics about the injury. In general - yes athletes participate in practice and workouts.

All excellent high level athletes will at some point be injured and the reason they are excellent is that they will make the best of the rehab process. The best, implies workouts and working the rehab process like a champion. Strength and conditioning, as rehab permits, is necessary.

I ask our staff to follow our Team injury protocol. Confirm/document injury specifics and Dr. and parent limitations/prescriptions. Rehab or participation in workout really depends on the specifics of the injury and medical limitations. Non-weight bearing is NO weight bearing. A boot/cast that prevents movement should be respected. The medical professionals are in charge of the injury prescription. Our staff is in charge of the mental rehab, execution of physical rehab (as appropriate) and working strength and conditioning. The participation in practice is important for the athlete mentally. This is very important. The social and mental should not be underestimated in these situations.

Our staff has access to pre-printed workout planners for some basic categories of injuries. The planners can be printed off and written with any modifications to custom it to the specific situation.

(BTW: Each planner has mental conditioning exercises that we ask the athletes to work thru. One example is the athlete locates a vid of themselves performing a vault (via gym iPad with vids stored on our server). They review their cues and goals. They go thru meet rehearsal (pre vault). Practice mentally the prep and then envision the run, hurdle, vault and landing. They have associated assignments to update the white board at vault with any changes to the cues or goals to their vault. This is not a time spending assignment, but very valuable to the injured athlete. Another example is to be the videographer during a drill set and provide feedback to their teammates when they come over to watch. They are actively participating and interacting with their sport and teammates. They are included and valuable.)

Best, Eric -

 

[Deleted member 14190]

what eric said

 

[Deleted member D3987]

what coachp said.

 

[gymmomof1]

Absolutely not. They do similar to what coach Eric outlined except the different mental exercises and being the videoer for teammates- I really like that for rehabbing gymmies.

 

[Midwestmommy]

With a broken bone it's pretty obvious if it is casted-- casted means immobilized which a means muscles losing strength which means don't tumble on it. A cast for a broken bone also means the fracture is not healed yet, makes no sense for instance to risk turning a non displaced fracture into a worse injury. There is lots and lots of other conditioning to do at practice. I agree with all the posts above. make lemonade out if the lemons.

 

[Flipomaniak]

A fews ago I had a cast on my left hand/wrist for a stress fracture, I would do aerial, back tuck/pike/LO SO, forwards dismounts, etc on beam. No vault, just running and drills. No bars, obviously. I actually tumbled, with it, one handed roundoffs into back twisting, front twisting etc

Now that I look back... yickes!