All-Star Has This Happened To Anyone?

[in10sityNY]

A few of my flyers have had this problem (including myself). Sometimes stretching it the opposite way helps. Because as cheerleaders, we are constantly pushing the skills that we want to get but sometimes not evenly working our bodies. This is how I do it. If the left side of your back hurts, hold onto something stable with your right hand. Lift your left foot slightly off the ground and slightly in front of you. Lean down and grab it like you would grab a heel stretch. Push the outside of your foot towards the floor while you get really hollow and think about pushing your back muscle to the ceiling. It's kind of hard to do but once you get it, it feels really good. Especially if you stretch like that in a hot shower. Hope that helps!!

 

[hannahx0xbananaa]

Uh oh. I did this and it hurts pretty bad. I guess I should see if I can go to the chiropractor.

please see a doctor immediately. I had a stress fracture in my lumbar spine 2 years ago (from stunting for my high school team not stretching for a scorpion) & it was terrible. I had a back brace for a little then had to do physical therapy & ended up being out about 2 1/2 months. When I came back the whole experience messed with my head & made me scared of it it happening again because the pain was so bad & effected my tumbling a little so please don't let it go & try to push through it because if you don't let it heal properly it can lead to worse things & the back is nothing to mess with!

 

[flyer4life]

I hurt my back during the summer and it hurt a lot to do back handsprings, but I could still pull a scorpion well. It was really weird........ It hurt for about 1 month ish then the pain just disappeared...

 

[Swoop]

If it hurts real bad then you need to see a doctor! Let me tell you from my own experience that backs are nothing to play around with! When I was in high school I was dropped while tumbling. It was when I was first doing doubles and even though I was on a spring floor, the spotter dropped me, I rolled off the floor onto the concrete and then he fell on top of me. After that I started having pain in my back and down my leg. I went to the chiropractor and he told me that I just had sciatica from the accident and that I could still cheer. So I kept going and pushing, and it got to the point where I had to take like 6 aspirin just to get through practice. And that just made the pain bearable. Then one night when I was in college my coach made us do standing tumbling over and over again and later that night I couldn't even stand up. Scariest thing ever! I had to go have an MRI and they found that I had 2 ruptured discs in my back and they were pressing against my sciatic nerve and the fluid (that keeps your discs from compressing together) had seeped out. So basically my discs were pressing against each other. He said that I needed to have surgery and wasn't able to cheer anymore. Needless to say I argued and told him that I was going to keep cheering either way. After a fierce battle, he said that all he could do was give me epidurals (they give them to women in labor and old people) to help with the pain. I had 3 epidurals and let me tell you, it was NOT fun having them poke a GIANT needle into my spine until they could find the spot! And the medicine that they injected burned! Each time I would go for my epidurals I would be with 70-80 year old people. Talk about feeling out of place! The nurses told me I was one of the youngest people that they had seen having to get them. The injections helped a lot for the time being, but now, several years later I'm right back where I started. I can't do anything physical without extreme pain. I can't even stand for periods of time without bad pain in my back, and my legs and feet going numb. I still have to get surgery, but I'm trying to put it off for as long as I can. All because I didn't go to the doctor when it first happened.
So, long story short, GET IT CHECKED OUT!!! And get a second opinion too!

 

[Deleted member 8658]

A few of my flyers have had this problem (including myself). Sometimes stretching it the opposite way helps. Because as cheerleaders, we are constantly pushing the skills that we want to get but sometimes not evenly working our bodies. This is how I do it. If the left side of your back hurts, hold onto something stable with your right hand. Lift your left foot slightly off the ground and slightly in front of you. Lean down and grab it like you would grab a heel stretch. Push the outside of your foot towards the floor while you get really hollow and think about pushing your back muscle to the ceiling. It's kind of hard to do but once you get it, it feels really good. Especially if you stretch like that in a hot shower. Hope that helps!!

after a year of stretching both my legs and both sides of my back the pain did go away and now i dont feel it any more unless i push my self to stretching my scorp further so i do believe that is part of the reason

 

[aggie1983]

Uh oh. I did this and it hurts pretty bad. I guess I should see if I can go to the chiropractor.

Just adding another voice to the chorus - the back is nothing to mess with, please go to a real doctor, preferably an orthopedist who specializes in the back.

 

[megaroo714]

i think it depends on they way you stretch.. im a flyer and i have almost a needle and last year my coach did a stretch to me where you lay on the floor with your arms out and they pull your leg up and push toward the ground... well after like 2 weeks of stretching me like that i could barley pull a scorp and im front an center ... so i think it depends on how your stretching

 

[bwana.]

this happened to me like two years ago!!!! its not like i was trying to stretch my scorpian higher, its just every practice my back started to hurt more and more and more everytime i pulled a scorpian. my best friend @bwana. used to push on that muscle in my back so i could continue on pulling my skills it was real bad!!

Anything for a Twister Sister!

 

[Deleted member 8658]

Anything for a Twister Sister!

well of course!! we twisters gotta stick together!

 

[coachbd]

If it hurts real bad then you need to see a doctor! Let me tell you from my own experience that backs are nothing to play around with! When I was in high school I was dropped while tumbling. It was when I was first doing doubles and even though I was on a spring floor, the spotter dropped me, I rolled off the floor onto the concrete and then he fell on top of me. After that I started having pain in my back and down my leg. I went to the chiropractor and he told me that I just had sciatica from the accident and that I could still cheer. So I kept going and pushing, and it got to the point where I had to take like 6 aspirin just to get through practice. And that just made the pain bearable. Then one night when I was in college my coach made us do standing tumbling over and over again and later that night I couldn't even stand up. Scariest thing ever! I had to go have an MRI and they found that I had 2 ruptured discs in my back and they were pressing against my sciatic nerve and the fluid (that keeps your discs from compressing together) had seeped out. So basically my discs were pressing against each other. He said that I needed to have surgery and wasn't able to cheer anymore. Needless to say I argued and told him that I was going to keep cheering either way. After a fierce battle, he said that all he could do was give me epidurals (they give them to women in labor and old people) to help with the pain. I had 3 epidurals and let me tell you, it was NOT fun having them poke a GIANT needle into my spine until they could find the spot! And the medicine that they injected burned! Each time I would go for my epidurals I would be with 70-80 year old people. Talk about feeling out of place! The nurses told me I was one of the youngest people that they had seen having to get them. The injections helped a lot for the time being, but now, several years later I'm right back where I started. I can't do anything physical without extreme pain. I can't even stand for periods of time without bad pain in my back, and my legs and feet going numb. I still have to get surgery, but I'm trying to put it off for as long as I can. All because I didn't go to the doctor when it first happened.
So, long story short, GET IT CHECKED OUT!!! And get a second opinion too!

Oh my god you poor thing that sounds absolutely horrendous!! I fractured my lumbar spine from tumbling a few years ago and I thought that was painful... sheesh this sounds intense It sounds like you should go for the surgery - it could really help and would totally change your life in a good way! - imagine from extreme pain to no pain at all! Good luck!

 

[The_cheer_obsessed]

It's actually happening me right now. I did it on Friday and now my lower back by where my hips are will NOT let me pull a scorp...It's Tuesday now.

 

[NoDramaCheerMama]

I realize this is an old thread, but I was wondering if anyone of the people on here with back pain had it checked out? My CP has had back pain off & on for a few weeks. Only hurts her when doing scorpions and stretching to get needle. She has been working really hard to get a needle. She has no pain when tumbling.

Took her to sports medicine Dr. today and she apparently has an extra (6th) lumbar vertebrae. It appears that she may have spondylolisthesis but not sure because the extra vertebrae may be making it look that way. We are waiting to hear about 2nd opinion and they are scheduling a CT scan. She is frustrated because the pain isn't that bad. The Dr. also did the standing on 1 foot and leaning back test as well as pressing on her vertebrae where she should have pain, she has none.

Is there anyone out there that has dealt with this? She is super frustrated because they have choreography in 2 weeks and she just made it as a flyer on the Junior L3 team.

 

[ang_k_]

I don't think a doctor is needed, however you should take it easy. Do not force yourself back into it. I lost my needle because of the overwhelming pain. But it's better this way, so I'm not in constant pain. Rest and ease slightly back in. Don't pull it a million times when you've gotten it back. Pull it a few times, not to strain yourself again
ETA- just realized it was an old thread oopsie

 

[Underestimated]

sometimes taking it easy on your body is a good thing!