Parents Tendonitis??

[GymnastMomX2]

10 year old DD has been diagnosed with tendonitis in her elbow, first by her coach and then confirmed by her pediatriction. Coaches have her taking a week off of anything that would out strain on the arm, Dr said 4-6 weeks of "no strenuous activity". DD has her first meet of the year in 3 weeks and claims that the elbow doesn't hurt that bad and only hurts sometimes. Do I pull her from the meet/practice? Listen to the coaches? DD? Dr? Get an option from a sports doc? She is new level 4.

 

[iwannacoach]

How did she end up with tendonitis? If you can answer that question, and eliminate the cause, there's a pretty good chance the inflammation won't return. That means resting for a reasonable period of time to give it a chance to heal up. I'm not a doctor so I won't argue the timeframe other than to suggest it's on the long end of the scale.

You could ask to have the doctor call you to discuss the rest period and whether icing and compression may speed up the process or allow some strenuous work, followed immediately with ice, prior to week 4. I had to deal with tendonitis as a collegiate gymnast and can say that while it's no picnic, it's usually manageable when ice and over the counter anti-inflamatory meds like Ibuprophen are used faithfully. If there come a time where she feels no pain for a four week stretch, it's likely the tendonitis is no longer an issue. Until then........ keep icing and gently wrap in an elastic bandage afterward.

 

[2gymmies]

I would definitely not leave any gymnastics injury to a pediatrician - find a good sports med or ortho doc now because you will eventually appreciate having the relationship and most pediatricians don't have the experience with athletes like gymnasts - sometimes (not saying this time) total rest actual makes the recovery worse and what is really needed is PT or muscle strengthening. Good luck and I hope she heals quickly.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

DD doesn't remember doing anything specific that caused the pain, it just randomly started hurting she says. She claims that it's not hurting at all now and is frustrated she can't do gym this week. I think seeing an actual sports doc may be the way to go since this has been an on/off issue for a few months.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

Oh and please excuse my typos in the first post, typing on an iPhone.

 

[iwannacoach]

Oh and please excuse my typos in the first post, typing on an iPhone.

Kips and cast squat-on.......

Has either of these two skills been a huge part of bars in the past eight weeks?

 

[gymmomtoo]

Definitely find a sport med doctor. Pediatricians are great at pediatric stuff, but not so great at what works for sports.

 

[saddlupasb]

I agree. Go see a sports med specialist or even an ortho who specializes in arms.

I had a girl hurt her arm and they casted her. It was one of those "it might be fractured" but never was cases. She had an MRI after 4 weeks in a cast and it showed no fracture but signs of soft tissue damage. Mom couldn't tell me exactly what. Her arm still doesn't straighten after more than a week out of the cast. Dr said PT would be a waste of time. He also said no physical activity until January. She's a level 2 and comes to practice anyway. We just don't do any arm stuff. Lol. At least mom got that right.

Which side of her elbow hurts? Inside or outside?

 

[GymnastMomX2]

Kips and cast squat-on.......

Has either of these two skills been a huge part of bars in the past eight weeks?

Past 8 weeks? Try past 2 years...

 

[MeetDirector]

Oopski -

The way that gymnasts pound thier bodies means some joints are going to react more than others. I would bet that back hand springs on floor and beam are a major part of her workout; the elbow takes a beating. Absolutely see a sports ortho doc; a pediatric one if possible. Get the X-rays to make sure no structural damage. This injury (my dd has had it for a while) is an overuse injury. Sports physical therapy will be very beneficial; she has to learn how to stretch correctly. Ice, ice, and more ice after workout. Traumeel gel works very well as does Sore No More. An elastic elbow brace could help too.

Good Luck.