Parents Return to Floor after L4 Fracture... Help :)

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OneProudParent

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Hi All!

My L8 daughter is 2 months in after being released to return after L4 bilateral pars fracture (a year of brace, re-brace and throw in heart surgery!). Boy, what she has endured and persevered through! She is amazing to me! My question is.... she has to attempt to avoid hyperextensions (so, no BHS). On floor, she is attempting a RO / FULL (full is required at her gym to compete). She is having issues landing, since her mind is trained to do a BHS before FULL. After a really tough year, I simply want her happy and healthy! I was hoping to get feedback on other options for her passes (with no back extensions), that might work for her. Her second pass is Front Tuck, RO, Back Tuck. Just want to see if there is something that she can compete, so she can be a part of the 'team' and have fun!

Any other floor passes that might work???

Thanks!!!
 
Can she do a whip back into a full?

My ds does not do bhs before any back tumbling. He says it just takes a lot of practice but now he prefers it that way.
 
Good question. I am not sure if a whip back would be a hyperextension of her back or not?!
 
If she can't do BHS, I would think a whip back would be out as well....
 
I would really like to hear this out. Did her doc give her a list of skills to avoid?
 
What a tough little girl, and a patient parent you are! I am beyond impressed. I have no idea what would work (sorry), but I put a good thought out for her and wish her well on her comeback!
 
I would really like to hear this out. Did her doc give her a list of skills to avoid?
Her 1st Dr released her after 2 months in hard brace (with pain still). He said 'just avoid things that cause pain'. We gradually let her go back, and after a month, she even competed an L8 meet on bars only (where she even placed). We then took her for a 2nd opinion, since we were now questioning the pain still. Doc 2 put her back in brace for 4 full months. Even after that, there was slight pain. The whole time, she was only doing core conditioning. After a soft brace, and 2 more months, she gradually came back. Since backs are tricky..... sometimes there is pain for life, while others heal with no issue. At this point, we can really only go by her, and how her body is feeling. So, not sure if she is afraid to go backwards, or, if there is true pain (from fracture or just not going backwards for months). We are trying to keep her mind, body and spirit positive! :)
 
What a tough little girl, and a patient parent you are! I am beyond impressed. I have no idea what would work (sorry), but I put a good thought out for her and wish her well on her comeback!
Thank yo SO much!!! Positive thoughts are appreciated more than you could even know!! :)
 
I'm sorry for her injury and surgery. She is one tough kid!

Many gymnasts experience fractures at L4 and L5 and go on to JO, Olympic, and NCAA competition. If you look at NCAA gymnasts on the sidelines at meets, many (most?) are wearing heat packs on their lower backs. After they are healed, PT that re-learns how to stretch and use your back seems to be the most effective method to keep kids successfully and safely out on the floor. I have heard it always hurts, but there is good pain and bad pain and it's difficult to learn which is which.

Keara Glover and Chris Waller both had heart surgery and made it back on the floor too. This is very tough stuff for your daughter to get through!

I have known kids who re-learned their skill set due to lower back fractures that were inhibiting. One did a ro/layout stepout on beam. Another did side aerial to something and changed from tkatchev to jaeger as a level 10. Another stopped back flipping altogether and did front twisting (tuck half stepout? ro/tuck half/punch front?, front tuck full? for level 8??). Another kept her back tumbling but did severely limited numbers. Brooke Parker at Michigan (elite and JO gymnast from Capital) never did backhandsprings by choice (she was a T&T gymnast) and her younger videos might give you some ideas.
 
No idea but good luck to her. She has been through so much and is so strong. Hope she finds some series she is happy with to continue the journey.
 
I'm sorry for her injury and surgery. She is one tough kid!

Many gymnasts experience fractures at L4 and L5 and go on to JO, Olympic, and NCAA competition. If you look at NCAA gymnasts on the sidelines at meets, many (most?) are wearing heat packs on their lower backs. After they are healed, PT that re-learns how to stretch and use your back seems to be the most effective method to keep kids successfully and safely out on the floor. I have heard it always hurts, but there is good pain and bad pain and it's difficult to learn which is which.

Keara Glover and Chris Waller both had heart surgery and made it back on the floor too. This is very tough stuff for your daughter to get through!

I have known kids who re-learned their skill set due to lower back fractures that were inhibiting. One did a ro/layout stepout on beam. Another did side aerial to something and changed from tkatchev to jaeger as a level 10. Another stopped back flipping altogether and did front twisting (tuck half stepout? ro/tuck half/punch front?, front tuck full? for level 8??). Another kept her back tumbling but did severely limited numbers. Brooke Parker at Michigan (elite and JO gymnast from Capital) never did backhandsprings by choice (she was a T&T gymnast) and her younger videos might give you some ideas.
 
Thanks LemonLime!! I appreciate your reply, and especially love to hear about others who have gone through similar issues, and came back and made it a success story!! These young gymnasts do go through so much, and I admire each and every one, since ALL of them overcome some obstacle in their gymnastic lives! So appreciate of the examples!! :)
 
No idea but good luck to her. She has been through so much and is so strong. Hope she finds some series she is happy with to continue the journey.


Thanks!!! Even though her journey has taken her off-course, I believe she is a much stronger young lady because of it!! Cheers to all of those young gymnasts who take on this path, and STILL love the sport in the end!! :)
 
My daughter had a L5 bi lateral pars fracture back in Aug 2014. She says vaulting and back tumbling are the hardest on her back. She went back to L7 and competed through May 2015, but the back pain crept back in when training yurchenchos for L8 so we have lessened her hours and switched to USAIGC Gold to manage the issue. Best of luck to your daughter, I highly recommend less hard surface tumbling and avoiding vault training on a daily basis if possible.
 
My daughter had a L5 bi lateral pars fracture back in Aug 2014. She says vaulting and back tumbling are the hardest on her back. She went back to L7 and competed through May 2015, but the back pain crept back in when training yurchenchos for L8 so we have lessened her hours and switched to USAIGC Gold to manage the issue. Best of luck to your daughter, I highly recommend less hard surface tumbling and avoiding vault training on a daily basis if possible.
 
My daughter had a L5 bi lateral pars fracture back in Aug 2014. She says vaulting and back tumbling are the hardest on her back. She went back to L7 and competed through May 2015, but the back pain crept back in when training yurchenchos for L8 so we have lessened her hours and switched to USAIGC Gold to manage the issue. Best of luck to your daughter, I highly recommend less hard surface tumbling and avoiding vault training on a daily basis if possible.
Thanks Smartiegirl! Sounds like they had very similar injuries, and at the same time. I appreciate your insight, and will definitely keep all options open. After what she went through, will not jeopardize her short or long-term health! She continues her PT and massage therapy even now, to try and be proactive and deter any returning pain and are cautious about what she is allowed to do. This was definitely a very good lesson for us to put things into the right perspective! Good luck to your daughter too, and hope she will be pain free moving forward!!! :)
 

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