Me_and_my_big_mouth
witty softball quote
Just got the dreaded phone call after a CT last night: stress fracture, L5. It's stable and we caught it early, so that's a good thing. We won't know until Monday what the course of treatment is, but from everything I've read and heard, the treatment is zero activity for at least 8 weeks. Try looking into the eyes of a 13 year old pitcher and dropping that bomb at the start of the season, without welling up. I dare you.
My dd went outside to be alone, and is "processing" right now. And me? I am stuck in a loop of, "What could I have done differently?" I know it doesn't do any good to do that to myself, but I keep thinking back to those days - and one tournament in particular - where I knew her back was hurting. I went to Walgreens and got Icy Hot, Advil, and an Ice Pack and was so proud of my dd because she was SO tough and played hurt! What in the heck were we thinking?? My parent of the year award is getting taken down off the mantle today!
I can second the sentiments of others on this board when I say: 1) Warm them up properly 2) Make them rest 3) Recognize that stress fractures are common (it's been estimated that as many as 30% of athletes between the ages of 11-17 will get them) and are primarily caused by OVERUSE. And when I say rest, I mean at least 6 weeks of zero activity during the Winter. We went just as hard all Winter as she has this Spring, and in hindsight I would've just put on the brakes and said NO WAY.
My heart is broken for my kiddo. She just got onto a team that she adores and couldn't wait to play with. She had one tournament with them, and now she's sidelined. Will she be fine? Yep - because setbacks are just life, and we know that she'll take this in stride and bounce back - but I sure wish I would've known when she began pitching at 11 how important those rest periods are. I know now, and it's a crappy lesson to have served up at the beginning of the season. If we had recognized the symptoms and gotten the tests done back in September, she would've been healed and ready to rock right now.
Hope this helps others out there who might be wondering whether or not they should pursue further treatment. You will be told it's muscle tightness (that was her pediatrician). You will be told it's poor mechanics (that was a well-meaning coach who wanted her to use H/E style instead). You will be told it's facet syndrome (that was her orthopedist). You will be told she needs to strengthen her core because it's probably weak (that was PT). You will told she needs yoga (that was my weird step-mother). Who really knows? It goes back to overuse - and rest.
I chose to listen to bucket pinata and not screw around. Thanks to his story, I think I was able to get ahead of this and be my dd's advocate in the face of everyone else telling us we were crazy when we suggested a fracture. Thanks, man.
I will echo what everyone else says: DEMAND THE DANG CT.
My dd went outside to be alone, and is "processing" right now. And me? I am stuck in a loop of, "What could I have done differently?" I know it doesn't do any good to do that to myself, but I keep thinking back to those days - and one tournament in particular - where I knew her back was hurting. I went to Walgreens and got Icy Hot, Advil, and an Ice Pack and was so proud of my dd because she was SO tough and played hurt! What in the heck were we thinking?? My parent of the year award is getting taken down off the mantle today!
I can second the sentiments of others on this board when I say: 1) Warm them up properly 2) Make them rest 3) Recognize that stress fractures are common (it's been estimated that as many as 30% of athletes between the ages of 11-17 will get them) and are primarily caused by OVERUSE. And when I say rest, I mean at least 6 weeks of zero activity during the Winter. We went just as hard all Winter as she has this Spring, and in hindsight I would've just put on the brakes and said NO WAY.
My heart is broken for my kiddo. She just got onto a team that she adores and couldn't wait to play with. She had one tournament with them, and now she's sidelined. Will she be fine? Yep - because setbacks are just life, and we know that she'll take this in stride and bounce back - but I sure wish I would've known when she began pitching at 11 how important those rest periods are. I know now, and it's a crappy lesson to have served up at the beginning of the season. If we had recognized the symptoms and gotten the tests done back in September, she would've been healed and ready to rock right now.
Hope this helps others out there who might be wondering whether or not they should pursue further treatment. You will be told it's muscle tightness (that was her pediatrician). You will be told it's poor mechanics (that was a well-meaning coach who wanted her to use H/E style instead). You will be told it's facet syndrome (that was her orthopedist). You will be told she needs to strengthen her core because it's probably weak (that was PT). You will told she needs yoga (that was my weird step-mother). Who really knows? It goes back to overuse - and rest.
I chose to listen to bucket pinata and not screw around. Thanks to his story, I think I was able to get ahead of this and be my dd's advocate in the face of everyone else telling us we were crazy when we suggested a fracture. Thanks, man.
I will echo what everyone else says: DEMAND THE DANG CT.