United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My daughter is currently enrolled in a gymnastics class and absolutely loves it. She is 5 yearsold, my fear is that as she is getting older and the skills are more advanced, it may cause pain or injury. I have spoke with the instructors in reference to avoiding some skills, however I am still concerned. Is this a good sport for her?

I say, absolutely! You'll be surprised how strong her good arm will get. The only negative is that if she does sprain a finger or hurt her dominant hand, as I did many times in childhood sports, its much more debilitating than for those who have another arm to rely on. I think the benefits are worth it, though: it should do wonders for her self esteem and overall confidence, which kids with "limitations" surely need.

By the way, if you want to encourage her toward a similar sport that uses arm strength less, try figure skating - that was my sport as a kid and I did great wioth use of only one arm!

Good luck,
Carolyn Young

I think so too!

Hi Chris - I want to share our gymnastic experience with you...

Maia signed up for Little Gym - a kids gymnastics program and was in it for two years. She made great gains. Actually her PT went with her and modified the things they were doing. It really helped her with her gross motor stuff. But as time went by the chasm between what the class could do and what she could do got really huge. She had a surgery because she was dislocated and she went to the gym with her splint on and still could do well but when she had the splint off -the class was doing more and more hanging this and this was contraindicated for her (high dislocation risk). When it was time to start her 3rd year there - they kept her in the same group because she hadn't 'mastered' 80% of what they taught and she ended up in the baby class again. She was 4 - they were 2 - and that totally blew her away and she went two more times and wouldn't participate at all- it made her very sad. So we quit.

I put her in ballet and tap instead - there's not really pressure on getting her to use her arm in a way that's not safe - she loves it and her self esteem is soaring again.

The gym class would have worked if the classes were mixed ages at all abilities (at least in groupings) - but these classes were set up strictly by age. If I were you I'd ask your bpi specialist what parts of the gymnastics (if any) would be contraindicated for your daughter.

I think it would really work well IF you found the right program with the right teachers (some sensitivity to children that have different abilities).

Good luck!
-francine

Thanks to all. I really appreciate the feedback. I know she has done great thus far, however I do worry about setbacks as other children advance-Francine, thanks so much for sharing your story. So far I have been fortunate with her insructors who have been wonderful and considerate of her needs. I also will look into ice skating in the future. Thanks soooo much!!

Speaking of gymnastics...
Mariella just started in her class a couple of weeks ago. She goes every Saturday morning with Hannah. They are in different classes b/c of their age differences (Ella 18 mos & Hannah 3 1/2) and with Ella's class one parent goes on the floor with them. It is a lot of fun and I hope that she enjoys it for a long time.
Krista