WAG Talk to me about back problems...

[MaryA]

Hoping for good news. It could be muscular, which isn't a whole lot of fun but better than spondylolysis. Possibly her back muscles weakened during her time off, and when she started back those muscles were at square 1 while her ability to put pressure on them was at square 5.

Oh, goodness... I hope so! This is what I am going to tell myself it is till we get the diagnosis tomorrow.

 

[beamer]

Acckkk Mary: the dreaded and seemingly inevitable back pain of gymnastics has struck for us too...

DD (age 12!) experienced the exact same thing at the middle and end of last competition season -- which was definitely right smack in the middle of a fairly radical growth spurt. She pretty much stopped tumbling and back bending for a month, went to states, then took some more time off from any gymnastics that called for extending or arching her back.

We took her to an orthopedist back specialist (whose own daughter is a gymnast); he found nothing. A combination of PT (both traditional and Reiki), massage and rest, combined with a nice summer of stress-free gymnastics seemed to do the trick. But we'll see. There was some mild complaining after Monday's practice.

Although I tend to be skeptical of the more "mind-body-based" therapies, I think we would try Reiki again. Her relief from it was visible. We will also try chiropractic if her pain returns.

Good luck. Hopefully you will let us know how it goes tomorrow.

 

[MaryA]

Not sure what Reiki is, but a place opened up just yesterday down the street from our house that advertises that they have it. I took a yoga class there last night. (Om.) Glad that the doctor didn't find anything for your DD and hoping the same will hold true for us. Even though at least when you have a diagnosis, it is easier to decide on a treatment.

 

[BlairBob]

Reiki is Japanese energy healing.

Anything in thebone needs time off.

Chiro, osteopath, pt, etc

Icing can numb pain away but unless we are using ice baths or cryo you arent really going to affect tge tissue as well. There are uses to localize icing for trauma but a sore back is not trauma.

Lying on a pommel horse and doing reverse hypers/leg lifts can help somewhat as can lazypikey swings on PB or straddle swings on rings.

Lying leg swings, wipers, scorpion twists can really loosen lower back and hips.

Or massage. Spa time.

 

[luvmygymdtr]

Oh, goodness... I hope so! This is what I am going to tell myself it is till we get the diagnosis tomorrow.

Please let us know. We went through this at the beginning of the summer. MRI and all. The orthopedic specialist was doom and gloom, and set us up to believe, even before the MRI, that she likely had a back fracture. Then, after he got results back, he had a huge smile on his face and said her back was in great shape, and it was just muscle pain. I'm hoping for the same outcome for your daughter. Longest 5 days of my life though. I wish you good luck today.

 

[MaryA]

Thanks. Bone scan went fine. I tried to talk the technician into telling us if she saw anything, but she said she wasn't allowed. I could see the scan and nothing jumped out at me. Her lower back was more "lit up" than her middle back, but so was her upper back and all of her joints. There was a bright glowing spot on the tip of every one of her ribs. I said we needed a print out of it because it would make a great Halloween decoration but DD thought that using her own skeleton for a Halloween decoration would be "too weird" (not that I was really going to ask for one anyway). Se we'll see what the doctor sees this afternoon...

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Crossing fingers that the bone scan is clear! Will you find out today?

 

[wispusa1]

I hope it is just muscular pain, but she still may need physical therapy and time off. The physical therapist told me that my daughter's back is in a constant muscle spasm caused by the bone injury. She has been doing deep tissue massage on the area and kinesiology tape which has helped immensely. After 2 weeks, she was allowed to do very mild conditioning at the gym but no hyperextension of the back or piking, which rules out most thing and ABSOLUTELY no apparatus. She spends 1 hour a day conditioning, compared to 6 hours before. However, there is another girl we know who didn't catch it early and/or didn't stop and she has to have a fusion, is done with gymnastics for life and will probably always have back problems, so to put it in perspective, this is nothing as I remind my daughter daily.

 

[coachmolly]

Glad the bone scan went well, hopefully you get some goods news from the Dr. this afternoon. I had some pretty bad problems with muscle spasms in my back as a gymnast, they were terribly painful but not a symptom of a deeper or more serious issue. It doesn't sound like that is what is going on with your DD, but it's possible she used some muscles more than others as she came back from the foot injury as a means of overcompensating and just needs some stretching or minor PT to remedy the problem.

 

[MaryA]

Bone scan came back clear. Dr. said not even any hints of injury to the bone. So we have several PT appointments scheduled with a doctor who specializes in spines, and I'm going to take her to a chiro too (asked for a copy of the X-ray to take with me) and she's been cleared to s-l-o-w-l-y ease back into tumbling. Hooray! Maybe the 2013-2014 gym season isn't going to be a total wash-out after all.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

Totally fabulous news! You must be so relieved!

 

[htimcj]

Wonderful news!

 

[coachmolly]

Great news! Hopefully the chiropractor and PT do the trick and she's good as new soon.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Glad the news was good. Hoping that she can get and stay pain free now!!

 

[luvmygymdtr]

JOY!!! Congratulations. I know exactly how you feel right now...

 

[txgymfan]

YAY!

 

[SignHere]

So glad for your DD! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

 

[MaryA]

Though when she got home from gym tonight, I asked her if her back felt any better after 3 weeks of "nothing that hurts" in the gym and she said, "Not really." And then, upon seeing my unhappiness at that, she added, "but it's FINE mom." In other words, "don't make me stop tumbling again, mom!" Bleh.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

I'm doing back flips!!!! (metaphorically, or course) That is great news, and certainly opens the door for some alternative therapy options.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Great news!! The chiropractor really helped my daughter when she was having back pain (after x-ray and MRI came back clean).