All-Star Bad Backs In Cheer..?

[SassyPriss]

Back problems in cheer are very common. For me, it always hurts after I jump or tumble. All that is is a lack of core muscle strength. So for anyone with back problems in cheat work them core muscles!
Icy hot patches are great help too. They've become my life.

You are 100% on the money! My daughter has had back pain for 3 years now (she is almost 14). We just started physical therapy and the doctor was amazed at how weak her core was. She said she's very flexible, but her muscles are being overworked due to a weak core. She's working on strengthening it now. I wonder if coaches know how to help athletes develop a strong core through excercises? It would seem to be a part of conditioning? Any coaches have thoughts on this?

 

[powerXbaby]

my chiropractor is my best friend i was there 3 days a week when i twisted a verterae in my upper back. i dont have lower back problems, just upper.

 

[NowImFamous]

I had a neck injury/upper back injury just a month ago, it hurt CONSTANTLY everyday, i went to TWO different chiropractors 3 days a week also, i was told i had a serious back injury on my medical charts so they could get more money from the insurance company, so i quit tumbling, and almost quit cheer because i was scared i would hurt myself. finally i started getting really sick from the chiropractor (nauseous after i got adjustments made) so i just stopped going, then gradually my neck got better, i use a lot of ice, tiger balm, neck stretches and just practice good technique EVERY time now and my neck pain has now all gone away. it actually came to be more a stress related injury then a cheer injury I now think chiropractors are waste of time, but that's just from my personal experience.

 

[cheerleader16]

I would suggest a sports orthopedic back specialist instead of a chiropractor just because the sports specialist only sees athletes and knows your love for the sport and will do what ever they can to get you back. My very first doctor for my back was just an orthopedic doctor that didnt specialize with athletes, and he told me I am done with cheerleading-I am SOOOO lucky I found this doctor!!!

 

[ATLCallan]

You are 100% on the money! My daughter has had back pain for 3 years now (she is almost 14). We just started physical therapy and the doctor was amazed at how weak her core was. She said she's very flexible, but her muscles are being overworked due to a weak core. She's working on strengthening it now. I wonder if coaches know how to help athletes develop a strong core through excercises? It would seem to be a part of conditioning? Any coaches have thoughts on this?

I'm not a coach and I'm only 16, but after 9 years in cheering I'm sure I can help! I have the same problem with a weak core. Usually at gyms I have been to, we always work core everyday after practice. However, this has been lacking. So for your daughter, I wouldn't rely on the gym conditioning, she should work her core whenever she can to help our with her back problems. She can to sit ups, running, arm workouts, planks, anything to help strengthen the core. I know tons of workouts to do from my personal trainer and from training in circus arts. She probably won't have fun with them, but it'll be better for her in the long run.

 

[CAMOM98]

My daughter was diagnosed with excessive lordosis in her lower lumbar this past summer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordosis
She had some major growth spurts to add to it. It makes standing tumbling a bit tougher for her at times. rebuilding her abs and stretching has helped as well as a visit to chiropractor for adjustments has helped.

 

[Ashay]

Last february I had two ligament tears in my back they are so tiny there is no way to repair them, I couldnt bend forward or back without severe pain! I had to see the chiropractor 3x a week for a LOOOONG time, he said it could be 6-8 months before I start to feel any better, I have started to feel better within the last month. I am a coach not an athlete so it was hard for me to spot any tumbling or get involved with a stunt without being in pain. As an athlete there is not much to do but rest and not tumble or stunt for a while, I know its a hard thing to do but trust me if your in that much pain its not worth it. Naproxen (the precription kind not over the counter) helps with inflamation, also lots of ice and stretching!!

 

[Ashay]

I also would see a back specialist along with the chiro. Aquatic physical therapy has helped as well and they can give you a script to have it.

 

[fullinitup]

one thing that is super important too and i think that it is overlooked is you should be working out your back muscles just as much as your core... they are just as important!

 

[kristenthegreat]

My senior year of HS, I was backspotting a stunt with two VERY weak/lazy bases. I had to lift so much of the stunt that I started using bad form in order to compensate for the strain. I had a back support/brace, but it was only helping so much. By the time we got to states, it was so bad that as soon as I got off the mat I collapsed and couldn't walk. I was literally bowed in a crescent. When they got me to the trainer there, he said my back was so overworked that the muscles were wrenched completely out. He heated and iced me, and eventually I could hobble off. Some girls and I had to lift my friend up in my spring musical, which was when I realized that if I tightened my core muscles, it didn't hurt. Low and behold, I started actively working my core and my back pain lessened tremendously.

Moral of the story: Make sure someone is watching your form to see if you're not lifting enough with your legs (don't lift with your back!). Actively work your core muscles at home. Take up a serious stretching practice and make sure you're stretching enough in BOTH directions and BOTH sides (gentle spine twists, cat/cow, child's pose, etc). Heat and ice..and a good relaxing massage when you can afford one.

 

[qtpiegirl1]

I have a horrible back and its from flying. stretching your back way farther than its supposed to go really does that to you haha. but again bad backs run in my family. but what i do is put a heating pad to it then i have a medical magnet and i put that on there too. hope that helps...

 

[cheerKT]

I thought this was going to be a thread for people complaining about backspots. I came here to defend them.

 

[foundmyway2SC]

I thought this was going to be a thread for people complaining about backspots. I came here to defend them.

HAHAHAH just made my day.

 

[Haniana]

I´ve got a bad back and neck from 6 years of cheer. I´ve always manage to handle it but after a tumbling crash a few years ago. I went to a doctor specialized in medicine for elite athletes. I got the chiro ofc, it always helps, but I also got acupuncture! It was SO awesome! Sure, it was kinda creepy when the needles where in my back (they went kinda deep, like on inch or something), but after they were removed, i felt NO pain from either torn muscles/ligaments or the joints in the spine. It was simply GONE! =D

So I recommend, chiro for sure, but acupuncture... WOW! Find someone that does it properly and you'll feel great ^^ (Kinda fun to brag about as well, "Haha, I've had like 15 needles one inch deep in my back" ^^)

 

[alliebby33]

I've had a bad back since 6th grade (when I started cheer). My guess is that it's because the gym I started at only had a dead floor, no spring floor. I'm a sophomore now, and I still can't stand/walk around comfortably for more than 25-30 minutes. I have to stretch it sooo much and I always have someone crack it before I play any sports.