Stress fractures

[cher062]

Ok a girl we have know for a bit from our old gym who also left to go to a different gym 2 years ago let us know for the next 3 months at least she can't do gymnastics or any sport that has pounding because she has stress fractures on her spine!!! She is in a full back brace that bacily goes around her mid sections!!

Ok if it were me that would be the end of gymnastics for my DD. But her mom and her think in 3 months she will be just fine and head back to the gym. there are alot of over use injuries at this gym. this girl was very talented but with this set back I can't see how she could come back 100% its not like a leg or an arm its her SPINE. too dangerous for me

 

[Deleted member D3987]

she'll be back.

 

[gymdog]

I've known girls with stress fractures in their back and they weren't given a prognosis that they needed to never do gymnastics again, really. 3 months seems like a good start, although obviously when she comes back she'll still need limited pounding and will hopefully mostly just be conditioning. Routines and training should then be further modified per the instructions of a sports ortho about what skills may exacerbate her condition. Unless I was told by a doctor that the kid had to quit gymnastics, I probably wouldn't make the kid quit...it would depend on the prognosis obviously. Some conditions are worse than others. For sure I would recommend a conservative approach and monitoring by a qualified professional...especially around the young teenage years (puberty and growth spurts). In my experience when the gymnasts and coaches took a sensible approach to injury management at this time, the issues leveled off to some extent by the later teenager years.

 

[cher062]

I don't know the brace is made of solid plastic like she had back surgery. She can't move at all in it and has to wear ti 24/7. the gym she is at is VERY competitive and really push the gymnasts hard. When she comes back (if she comes back) I don't see her gym as one that won't want her to dive right in. I would be very worried on that point. She's such a nice kid and until this was one of the best gymnasts at her level. I think its going to be very hard for her not to be placing in the higher ranks when she comes back.

 

[bogwoppit]

It really depends on the child. Some kids recover completely after a few months and then there are kids like mine who after six months of no sport and physio are still in considerable pain. She may return to the sport, but then again she might not. Poor kid, it is no fun.

 

[Gymdad2]

She needs to listen to what her doctor says and follow doctor's orders.

 

[NGL780309]

I knew a gymnast who had something similar when she was around a Level 7/8. She missed quite a bit of time, but came back just fine and never had a problem again. She competed for the rest of her high school years very successfully and made it to Level 10. I wish this girl the best of luck for making a full recovery.

 

[bookworm]

My daughter had a stress fracture a couple of years ago in the thoracic area and was in a brace similar to the one you describe for 3 months...she could only "stretch and condition" ...and that's what she did even though her coaches are maniacs ..and I decreased her to 4 days a week of that...long story short...she did come back, without any sequelae..went on to do well at Regionals and Nationals and hasn't had a issue since...

 

[Muddlethru]

Stress fractures are not debilitating and is by no means a permanent injury. It is an overuse injury (one of the many injuries athletes may get in their careers). It occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone causing a tiny crack called a stress fracture (also known as a hairline fracture). This fracture heals itself naturally. I had a stress fracture on my lower back after my last marathon. I was only restricted from running the next 2 to 3 months. I feel some soreness on the area when I start running long distances but as many posters have indicated this type of injury can heal completely. The brace the gymnast is using is just to immobilize the area and is probably not because she is severely injured.

 

[bogwoppit]

Stress fractures are not debilitating and is by no means a permanent injury. It is an overuse injury (one of the many injuries athletes may get in their careers). It occurs when muscles become fatigued and are unable to absorb added shock. Eventually, the fatigued muscle transfers the overload of stress to the bone causing a tiny crack called a stress fracture (also known as a hairline fracture). This fracture heals itself naturally. I had a stress fracture on my lower back after my last marathon. I was only restricted from running the next 2 to 3 months. I feel some soreness on the area when I start running long distances but as many posters have indicated this type of injury can heal completely. The brace the gymnast is using is just to immobilize the area and is probably not because she is severely injured.

Sadly this is not always the case. My dd is waiting for surgery to fuse her spine after a diagnosis of a stress fracture with slippage. Sometimes these things do not heal themselves and therefore it can mean the end of gymnastics, but not of sports generally. DD has bilateral stress fractures at L5 and is in constant pain despite over six months of no sports and physiotherapy. To say that this facture heasl itself naturally is somewhat misleading, and sadly not the case for my DD.

 

[cher062]

it's good to hear that it can cure and there is hope for her. My DD and her have remained friends over the years even though they are at different gyms now. She is such a good kid and very talented. Her Dr.s dont even want her to stretch or condition. she is out of the gym totally and no major physical activity for the next 3 months at least then they will see where she is at. She so loves this sport I am hoping she recovers and can come back.

I know any type of back issues scare me with these kids. You don't want to fool around with spines if you don't have to.

 

[bogwoppit]

She was given good advice and my dd had the same, the back has to be given the optimum set of conditions to heal in. No stretching and no sports is the only way to give it a chance.

 

[Muddlethru]

Sadly this is not always the case. My dd is waiting for surgery to fuse her spine after a diagnosis of a stress fracture with slippage. Sometimes these things do not heal themselves and therefore it can mean the end of gymnastics, but not of sports generally. DD has bilateral stress fractures at L5 and is in constant pain despite over six months of no sports and physiotherapy. To say that this facture heasl itself naturally is somewhat misleading, and sadly not the case for my DD.

Sorry to hear that bogwoppit. Maybe I was not that thorough with my post. The problem most of the time is that stress fractures is undetected early on and this causes more complications (perhaps the "slippage" your DD experienced). If the activity that caused the stress fracture is resumed too quickly, larger, harder-to-heal stress fractures can develop. Re-injury also could lead to chronic problems where the stress fracture might never heal properly. But stress fractures alone (with no other complications) if treated properly and is detected in its early stages is not necessarily a debilitating injury and in 99% of the cases does heal itself. As far as the gymnast described by the OP, if wearing the brace is already part of the treatment, then it would appear that the injury might not have been detected right away. The problem with stress fractures is often times, the fracture does not even show in regular x-rays and/or does not not show up for several weeks after the pain starts. So the athlete continues to cause strain on the fracture causing a more complications. My stress fracture did not show on regular x-rays and I had to get a full body scan two weeks later. Had I continued to run long distances, this stress fracture might have gone to the next stages and my treatment might have been more than just rest for 2 to 3 months. One thing to keep in mind is that often times stress fractures happen over time and is not like a blunt trauma (though a stress fracture can be a result of a blunt trauma as well). So, many people work through the pain. And so it leads to larger, harder to heal fractures which may no longer heal itself.

The above is a generalized statement and of course there are always exceptions to the rule and is not to be taken as an end all and be all. Just a little information to start with.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

cntrl>c>v...........................

 

[bogwoppit]

cntrl>c>v...........................

Done and deleted! You are being very cryptic these days.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

just looking out for you guys.