MAG treatment questions

[skschlag]

D has an MRI on Saturday for possible stress fracture (pars L5). He has been on restricted activity for quite a while, 2 hours, cardio, stretching and strength.

Anyway, I want to have my ducks in a row should it come back as a stress fracture. My questions are: brace or no? Seems to be info both ways.

No activity: Are there some things he can do (ankles, wrists, legs, etc) or did docs tell you not to do anything at all?

How long was recovery/rehab? Or how long until back at working out? I want to give D a realistic timeline.

Thanks!

 

[txgymfan]

Sending good thoughts your way. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[IreneKa]

Brace - yes.

Activities - we were told she could do anything the brace would allow her to do. Which wasn't much, mostly stretching, conditioning, some bars, etc.

The most important thing - to find a PT who can help to get to the bottom of the problem. If they just treat the injury without fixing an underlying issue, the stress will come back as soon as he goes back to full gymnastics.

 

[duyetanh]

I have no idea, but I will put a good thought out there for your boy!!

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Backs are serious. Get it right the first time. He will be better for it!!!

 

[profmom]

Thanks for posting this, Skschlag -- as some of you know, DD is in the same unhappy boat. I hope we both have some not so bad news from upcoming imaging (DD is still awaiting insurance clearance).

IreneKa, just curious. What can PT do to get to the causal issue? I can understand this if a fracture is caused by something like overflexion of the lumbar spine due to lack of flexibility in the shoulders or the like, but would this be true for spondy (if it's not the bad spondy)? In DD's case, I doubt that lack of flexibility plays a role. And if I am remembering right, Skschlag's guy is not too bad in the flexibility department either.

 

[IreneKa]

Thanks for posting this, Skschlag -- as some of you know, DD is in the same unhappy boat. I hope we both have some not so bad news from upcoming imaging (DD is still awaiting insurance clearance).

IreneKa, just curious. What can PT do to get to the causal issue? I can understand this if a fracture is caused by something like overflexion of the lumbar spine due to lack of flexibility in the shoulders or the like, but would this be true for spondy (if it's not the bad spondy)? In DD's case, I doubt that lack of flexibility plays a role. And if I am remembering right, Skschlag's guy is not too bad in the flexibility department either.

DD has been struggling for over 18 months now. Originally it was L5 spondy.
The first PT said, her back muscles are not strong enough to support her back, we need to build the muscles. So, we've been working on that, she got all batter, but 6 months later the pain came back.
We went to a different PT, former gymnast. She said her hip flexor is not flexible enough, so we were stretching her hips. We also went to OT, who said her psoas muscle is too tight, which is causing her pelvis to tilt, creating a curve in her spine. So, we've been also working on relaxing that muscle.
The pain persisted. We finally went to see that guy from Hybrid Perspective, Dave Tilley. He said her hips are fine, her pelvis is fine, it's her shoulders causing the problem. So now we are working on her shoulders. The last MRI came back clear, but she is still having pain.
So, as you can see it's not easy to identify the problem and it's very frustrating.

There could be other issues too. Someone posted here about muscles not firing in the right order. Or could be that glutes are not strong enough, and the back has to compensate. Someone posted a nice video recently about how doing stretches and other exercises incorrectly, compensating with the lower back instead of flexing the butt, can cause back pain.
So really, could be a lot of different issue, and from my experience regular PTs just don't understand everything involved with doing gymnastics, and don't really know how to treat gymnasts.

 

[Deleted member 10727]

I'm sorry you guys re going through this right now. Keep us updated. I am crossing my fingers it's tendonitis or something simple. (hugs) to you, Mama.

 

[profmom]

Lots to think about there, IreneKa. Thanks. I do wonder about the psoas issue for DD.

 

[LizzieLac]

Sorry to hear about the struggles. As a parent of a seriously injured gymnast (2 broken bones in leg) the recovery and return is so tough. Agree that qualified PT is very important. We had a sports trained PT who was a gymnast and then college cheerleader. I think that was the difference. Good luck!

 

[thefellowsmom]

I totally agree with what everyone has said about finding the right practitioner. We have been through this and are finally out the other side, well at least in what our new reality looks like.

It took us well over a year and what seemed like an endless stream of practitioners who claimed to know how to help her but had no idea how to deal with an athlete her age/size with her capabilities. You are basically starting at what they view as the end and most PTs just stared at her while I picked their jaw up off the floor. Most of them were well meaning but useless. We wasted a lot of time.

You absolutely have to find someone who can get to the root of what caused the problem. This can be any number of things, all very individual to the athlete. What the actual issue is will indicate what type of practitioner will work best for your athlete as well.

We have found the right person who put her back together again and has her firing off like a well oiled machine. We couldn't be more grateful.

For the record, we didn't brace and she never stopped working out entirely, but our circumstances were very specific as each instance of this tends to be.

I will also say that when you must follow through on the path that you choose, once you feel that you are on the right one. Most people don't do the exercises for the duration or frequency that it requires, don't follow through on the appointments, don't do what they are told, don't follow the rules and then wonder why there kid is in pain a year later, out of the sport and possibly permanently damaged. You must do the work, even if gymnastics isn't the goal. His body will thank you later.

Also -- Trust your gut and do your research. Doctors, PTs, other practitioners don't know everything. Trusting them blindly isn't always in the best interest of your child.

Spondy is a scary diagnosis, but doesn't have to be the end. Hang in there. Positive thoughts heading your way.

I would be happy to answer any questions you have about our situation in private. Please feel free to PM me.