Ouch! Yes I’m sure not performing surgery when it’s necessary is just as bad (if not worse). I just don’t understand how doctors in the same profession can come up with such drastic, different ideas on how to approach the same injury on the same person.
this is exactly one of my thoughts from my original post. Making sure her body needs are being met for healthy , normal growth. Sadly I think teens are pushed by coaches who dont have a lot of background on growth physiology.
3 Likes
from my personal experience it came down to the doctors level of personal experiences and the willingness to change with the times as the data evolves. Some simply keep doing it an old way as that is how they learned and wont be told anything new.
when I did in my shoulder the surgeon was able to quote a large study which was the foundation of his current approach with managing the injury. He said when he started out, everyone got surgery now he says, few need to go there.
Same with the Oncology team , all the recommendations came with documentation, including a large book the team head had put together for the hospital which covered every aspect of the breast cancer journey at all levels. In included an index with data references.
I think some doctors are simply unwilling to change their old ways.
1 Like
Some of them just aren’t too bright. Someone had to graduate at the bottom of the med school class.
I would double check everything in the Tennessee medical system. The kinds of over prescription stories I heard horrified me. I don’t know if there were incentives that were different from other states in some way, or just a generally less medically informed patient base, or if there was some pay differential that didn’t attract the top grads, or just my first exposure to American life not on the coast.
I think much of this is about the patient advocating for themselves. Pain is not something that anyone else can judge - only the patient themselves can express their level of pain and they need to do so.
For kids I think this is tough - they waver between not wanting to look like a “baby” but also many have very little reference points about pain. I used to say that instead of a pain scale from 1-10, my kids had a binary scale – 0 means they feel normal, 1 means not normal. It’s frustrating as a parent (and I’m sure as a coach) to not know whether a kid needs a day off, or an xray.
I think good coaching makes a huge difference - talking about injuries and injury prevention, and wanting to know they are feeling - not just how they are performing. That is my coach’s first question every time I see him – “how’re you feeling? How did that run feel? How is your hip? How about the calf?” – sort of a laundry list of my historically injured places. So - normalizing the idea that you might be sore, you might get injured, and you have to pay attention to your body if it’s feeling beat up or sore.
And working in good warmups and recovery exercises for everyone.
1 Like
@WildLittleWren I hope your daughter is hanging in there. My SO just broke his foot in two places over the weekend; he has a cat scan coming up to see if he will need surgery to put a bone that broke off back in place or not 
His doctor saved my moms (former RN) foot a few years back so we at least have that experience going for us in picking the foot recovery team.
2 Likes
I’m a little late to this thread, but I had stress fractures in both tibia from running track. The doctor at the time missed it (did not order a MRI). Eventually I had to quit the team, and my coach was not nice about it. I was also trying to ride my junior hunter at the same time, and it was excruciating. My hormones were all over the place at that age, and I think that contributed. We had a clay track but it was not a great surface. I also ran hurdles.
At some point in law school, I started having trouble with one ankle (secondary issue related to the chronic “shin splints” —the type I had better termed medial tibial stress syndrome), and I get X-rays and MRI of both legs. I have permanent bone remodeling and bone density changes. Doctor at that time said the changes were likely because I had fractures that were not treated properly. I have not been able to run at all since 2004.
A couple years ago I started taking collagen after reading about the orthopedic benefits. I used to have to put Voltaren (topical NSAID) on my ankle and legs nearly every day if not multiple times a day. I hardly need it now. While I’m not going to be running anytime soon, my day to day comfort is much better. Also seemed to help with a finger fracture at the joint I did not long ago. With the finger fracture, I also supplemented more minerals into my diet (I used supplements because a lot of the foods rich in things like zinc, magnesium, required cooking and cooking and cleaning up was difficult with a busted hand).
I’m so sorry this happened to your daughter. Thank you for being so proactive on her care!
4 Likes
@IPEsq I think that is excellent information for WLW
WLW I hope things are going OK and you are getting the info and support needed
1 Like
If she still is on crutches, you may want to look into getting a scooter for her. I used one during my recovery for a broken ankle and it made getting around so much easier.
If you do get one, make sure to get one with larger “off-road” tires. They make it easier to go over rough ground or even little bumps.
Hey, how did your daughter make out with treatment?
Hopefully she’s back to walking normally and no boot, and maybe exercising lightly by now? Curious to hear how it is going.
2 Likes
She is off the crutches but still in the boot until her next appointment June 13th. We will know more of where she is at then. She starts PT after the boot comes off. I’ll let you know when we get an update next week!
6 Likes
@IPEsq what collegen product do you use. My hands are really becoming an issue and if there is something I can add, like the collegen, I would like to. I use Voltarin sparingly given its systemic effect potential. I use oral NSAID in an as needed fashion. One of my thumbs is bone on bone. It is amazing how adept I have become at seldom using my thumb on that hand . Anything to spare the wear and tear
1 Like
good to hear that she is making progress. I hope she is keeping her spirits up.
Going into summer, I wonder if swimming is a good outlet for her athletic mindset
I use either the one by Garden of Life or Vital Proteins depending on which one has the best price at the store that day. I just use the regular unflavored one.
2 Likes
Fwiw, I never had much luck with collagen (and always found it to taste like dirty socks, gross 
) until I started Juven. I was on it following a really big surgery, but continued after recovery for the benefits (and taste!)
So if you don’t find the other collagen sups effective, it’s definitely something to check out.
2 Likes
Glad to hear she’s doing better.
Good news - it felt like more time had passed than this so I was thinking she would be out of the boot by now. Time flies and stands still at the same time. LOL.
I hope she’s feeling good and that PT will be helpful. And, hopefully she’ll be back to training if she wants soon…do you think she has plans for running? (e.g. fall cross country?) If so - definitely make sure she discusses with the PT to talk about a slow build to ramp up for that so she can avoid injury.
Let us know how she recovers after the boot comes off!
1 Like
Hey, how is your daughter doing?
Was just thinking that fall sports will be starting up soon. Is she planning to do a fall sport? Hope she’s fully recovered and back to running (if she wants to be).
4 Likes
@WildLittleWren - I had someone recommend liquid calcium (I think either Solgar or Solaray makes it). A friend’s daughter took it after fracturing her leg (non-displaced) coming off her horse and it seemed to help.
