I Was One of Those Gymnasts in the ER
Reader Comments
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DANGEROUS "SPORT"
Wow, it's obvious most of you people on here pushed your kids in gymnastics. Face it, gymnastics is a DANGEROUS sport. Yes, all sports have some risk of injury, but gymnastics has a much higher risk, incidence, and more seriousness than most other sports. Not to mention the health risks that most gymnasts face later in life including osteoporosis and arthritis. My children can play almost any sport they choose except ice hockey, soccer, and gymnastics. Frankly, I believe that parents that let their children participate in gymnastics should be punished for negligent behavior.
Ramani
As an ER doctor, you only see the bad. I participated in team sports all of my life, most of them more towards the non contact variety, tennis, volleyball, cross country, and soccer. During my, as you see it, kamikaze romping, I sustained a few minor sprains/shin splints. Sure, it hurt a bit for a while, but, where I was healed, I went back out and competed again. I had the time of my life with my teammates. Once you're out of high school the opportunities for that high level of competition go to 0 for most people. Of the hundreds of students I partook in the sports with, one broke his thumb playing volleyball, and an other had to have some knee surgery. The one who had knee surgery ran cross country and only needed the surgery because he was so passionate for the sport and over exerted his body on a daily basis. His parents didn't push him to do it, his coaches didn't push him to do it, he wanted it. Now, after recovering, he's going to be running at Oregon, one of the better Track/Cross Country schools in the nation. Sports can be dangerous, people do get hurt. But as far as taking kids out of team sports altogether? That's just denying them some of the happiest times and feelings they'll have in their childhood.
Ramani
Ramani you act like every single gymnast trains against their will and that they are all aneorexic. Not true. Most gymnasts are in the sport because they themselves want to be and most do not have an eating disorder. If you prevent your children from participating in a team sport when they want to, you're no different from the parents who force them to take part when they don't.
Gymnastics is a beautiful and fun sport. Just because it's not for everyone doesn't mean it's not for anyone.
sports risks are completely crazy
As an occupational physician and ER doc, I think that all these sports are completely crazy. OSHA would shut down any business which made grown, highly trained men engage in activities even half as dangerous as those in which those poor, deluded, half-starved, 11 year old "flyers" do every day for free, their parents having preemptively signed away all their kids rights. I think the parents of my child patients are complete morons who are selling their kids down the river in the interests of popular entertainment. And yes, I do put it in those terms when child athletes with injuries show up in the ER, (unless, of course, a catastrophic injury has occured, in which their parents don't need my two cents worth.) And yes, I do have kids whose friends are all in team sports, but I personally discourage them from engaging in team sports beyond the elementary school level, even though they are both in schools where everyone who wants to play can join the team, and where most of their friends are into team sports. I do encourage them to engage in individual sports such as dance, weightlifting,karate and so on, but I think that team sports are no longer a net positive. So, while I will make room in the homework/chores/social schedule for an hour or so of karate, I sure as H*LL won't do so for soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, you name it, I hate it team sport.
Another way to look at it
I think the media is addressing this study out of context. There are injuries in this sport and I wish they would have spent more time being helpful than "sensationalizing the story." The important point is to learn and do gymnastics in a controlled safer environment where the coaches are trained in safety and in developing core strength that will help avoid injuries. Schools where over 40% of the injuries occur are not a safe environment.
The Today show took and excerpt from the Video News Release that went along with this study and purported that an injury was caught on tape - that was a lie. It was my daughter - she was spotted in a safe environment and noone was hurt. In fact she won the State Beam Championship two weeks later.
While gymnastics can be a dangerous sport and should be done in a safe environment -soccer too can be dangerous. I have witnessed several concussions and broken bones. We all take chances and risks.
