Coping with Injury

As gymnasts, we all succumb to injury at some stage. Whether it’s a bruise, a bump, a scrape or break, we all suffer with an injury somehow. The question is, how do you deal with it? For those who are told they can’t attend training for a week or 2 weeks, it’s upsetting but what about those who are told that they can’t train for a longer period of time?

Last year, a mother of one of our gymnasts came to me asking me for advice. Her daughter had been complaining of back pain and also leg pain.  I referred her to a Podiatrist explaining that her daughter had very flattened arches and as she walked, her feet showed a very prominent inward direction. Despite the cost, €80 for the first consultation (the majority of which could be claimed back on health insurance) I advised that it would be best to have a proper assessment done so that structural problems could be fixed now as opposed to in years to come when the child will more than likely suffer knee, hip and back pain. I also suggested some light massage work to loosen the muscles out and also to offer her comfort. She thanked me but they never made an appointment.

Later during the year, I was approached by the same mother who said that her child was suffering direct knee pain. It is always best in these situations to talk to the child about how they are feeling as opposed to their parent saying they feel X and feel Y – when they might not. As Therapists, we are trained to choose our words carefully so I asked her to describe what she felt and when this feeling occurred as opposed to putting words in her mouth. She told me that she felt pain under her knee, often a dull ache when resting but a sharper pain when running, jumping etc. At this stage I had an idea in my head of what the problem was but waited to decide until I saw her knee. Quite a prominent bump was visible when the gymnast revealed her knee. It wasn’t too big but it did indicate the beginnings of Osgood Schlatters disease, a very common injury in gymnasts. The gymnast had all of the factors local pain, swelling and tenderness over the tibial tuberosity which was exacerbated by exercise. I advised her to take some time off training, complete rest for 2 – 3 weeks and see how it is and to ice it at home.

A month off training made no difference to this poor gymnast’s knee; in fact the lump had become sizeably bigger. I referred her to an excellent Therapist who has treated me and some former team mates for this injury and others. In August he told her to take 2 months off and return each month for a check up. The recovery to the leg was slow but progressive. By November she started to feel better until her right leg then became far worse affected than the left.

Those who have suffered with Osgood Schlatters will know that there’s very little you can do. Rest is the key factor. You must stop all running, jumping, bouncing.  Osgoods is a injury that has a very slow recovery period. It can be exhausting and draining having to wait for the pain to subside all the while watching your team mates progress and move on ahead of you. It can also be somewhat lonely.

 The gymnast is still out of full training, she trains mainly on bars, doing some light beam work and a lot of conditioning work. She has missed many competitions so far this season. I spoke to her last week about how she is feeling and getting on. I was surprised at how positive she is about her injury. She said that she has been watching her team mates over the last few months and can see the mistakes they are making when performing moves and she can’t wait to get back to full training when she will train harder than she ever has before and put all of her noted points into action. I commended her on the strength and determination she has shown throughout the last few months. She said that while she knows she has fallen behind her team mates on vault, floor and beam, she knows that it will take time to catch up and that she can do it.  It made me think, this girl has a great attitude towards injury, an absolutely superb attitude. I suffered with the injury briefly  (yet still have the lumps to show for it!) and can admit that I, in no way had as positive an attitude as this gymnast.

So how do you cope with injury? How do you deal with being out of training for a couple of weeks or months? For coaches, how do you keep gymnasts in this sort of situation motivated? How do you keep their spirits up? I’d be very interested in hearing from you all, from any readers of any sport!

3 Comments

• 

  By Rick McCharles, February 11, 2010 @ 8:30 AM

  Very good, very difficult questions. Each gymnast is so individual, I have trouble generalizing.

  My usual rule of thumb is that injured gymnasts continue to come to every workout, but train about half the normal time.

• 

  By Admin, February 11, 2010 @ 9:48 AM

  Thanks for the comment Rick. I agree, it is very hard to generalize as each gymnast is so different and so unique, although this is the first time I’ve come across an injured gymnast who thinks so positively about her injury. She’s 12 so maybe she’s that bit more mature than other injured gymnasts I’ve worked with.

  I definitely try to keep the girls in gym if at all possible, however little work they are doing.

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