Possible laberal tear- a few questions

Rac20 · 16 Feb 20, 07:51 PM

My crazy goalkeeper DS went to make a save and basically fell horizontally on his back from goal height. This was November. He had an X-ray at the time which showed no fracture but he’s been having physio twice weekly and they suspect (the physio) that he’s got a laberal tear as there has been no improvement since the initial injury.

He’s in a lot of pain and can only walk minimal distances at an ambling pace. No running/jumping/swimming. Nothing. He’s in constant pain. It’s taken ages to get a referral as initially he was rejected for a scan by the hospital. 😢
I have enquired at several private practices near where I live and they’ve all said that they don’t treat youngsters.
Finally managed to get a referral at a hospital absolutely nowhere near where we live as the local hospital had a 3 month waiting list.
Has anyone else’s child been through this? I feel like it’s taken forever to finally get a referral (10th March) and I’m worried that if it is what the physio thinks he will need surgery and we’ll be waiting months again for that.
If anyone has been diagnosed with a laberal tear, what was the treatment process?
Did you need surgery? How long did you have to wait for the surgery?
How long was recovery?
I know each individual case is different. I’m just looking for reassurances that he’ll be pain free sooner, rather than later and he’ll be able to get back to doing what he loves most.

Thank you all.

sprocket · 17 Feb 20, 01:57 PM

An Xray wont pick up most injuries like this, but I wouldnt go jumping down the labral tear route just because of a physio. Its also very common for brakes and fractures to be missed on xrays in certain areas of the body especially with youngsters as they limit the amount of xrays they do on them.
I am assuming you are talking about hip pain and a hip labral tear. Hospitals would be very cautious about xraying youngsters in this area.

Yes the issue you have is a lot of private clinics wont take youngsters. You could keep trying, but be prepared that the next requirement will be an MRI or CT and these can start getting expensive. I highly doubt they would CT scan a youngster without going down every other route first.

I can say that some injuries can take several months to years to recover from. Where the muscle seems painful/hard to move, but over time it gets easier.

He needs to be avoiding as much weight bearing on it until fully diagnosed or recovered.
Children can be hard enough but he needs to fully understand how much rest he needs to aid recovery.

If its a labral tear and does require surgery, he needs to be aware that physically demanding sport can be permanently very hard afterwards.

On a side note, have you considered claiming PIP. If its affecting mobility this much then you may be able to claim which would help go towards costs you may spend on private clinics if you find one.

Rac20 · 17 Feb 20, 05:20 PM

Thank you for taking the time to reply. He has been doing absolutely nothing as he is in pain. I did wonder whether the first X-ray may have missed a fracture. I know from experience that initial x rays don’t always pick up on things.
I’m sorry, I don’t know what PIP is?🤔
I just hope the hospital appointment has some answer as to what is wrong so we know what we’re looking at.

Rac20 · 17 Feb 20, 05:33 PM

Just googled PIP and he wouldn’t qualify as yet as he’s only 14.

sprocket · 18 Feb 20, 09:49 AM

Oh, sorry, its still DLA for under 16.

If he is struggling then he should qualify under these parts:
- they have difficulty getting about
- for at least 3 months and expect them to last for at least 6 months

lowest rate - they can walk but need help and or supervision when outdoors
highest rate - they cannot walk, can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, could become very ill if they try to walk or they’re blind, severely sight impaired

Originally Posted by Rac20

Just googled PIP and he wouldn’t qualify as yet as he’s only 14.

Rac20 · 18 Feb 20, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by sprocket

Oh, sorry, its still DLA for under 16.

If he is struggling then he should qualify under these parts:
- they have difficulty getting about
- for at least 3 months and expect them to last for at least 6 months

lowest rate - they can walk but need help and or supervision when outdoors
highest rate - they cannot walk, can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, could become very ill if they try to walk or they’re blind, severely sight impaired

Thank you. That’s useful. 👍🏻

**Michyloulou** · 18 Feb 20, 12:57 PM

Sorry to read about your son. I’ve no advice, but feel for you as my son is also a goalkeeper and has plenty of leg and head injuries from bad tackles and also my son diving to make a save.
Something that helped my son was actual goal-keeper training in addition to his football training sessions. The guy who runs the goalkeeper sessions has told me part of the course is them learning to position themselves correctly to help prevent injury, as well as goal-saving strategies. Hope your son gets the treatment he needs & recovers soon.

Rac20 · 18 Feb 20, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Michyloulou

Sorry to read about your son. I’ve no advice, but feel for you as my son is also a goalkeeper and has plenty of leg and head injuries from bad tackles and also my son diving to make a save.
Something that helped my son was actual goal-keeper training in addition to his football training sessions. The guy who runs the goalkeeper sessions has told me part of the course is them learning to position themselves correctly to help prevent injury, as well as goal-saving strategies. Hope your son gets the treatment he needs & recovers soon.

Thank you. He does have goal keeping sessions in addition to his normal football. He’s going stir crazy not being able to train/play as he’s used to playing 5 days a week. As am I!😂 I’m not used to having a grumpy layabout around the house.

Scary isn’t it the injuries they pick up? He suffered quite a bad knee injury last year but was only out a few weeks and miraculously missed no games as it was in the height of winter and they were all cancelled for various reasons.

**Michyloulou** · 18 Feb 20, 03:47 PM

My son is the same if he can't play. Recently he's had a massive blow to his shin (the player got sent off for a dangerous tackle) - took him to our local minor injuries centre - thankfully it wasn't fractured but he had a nasty open wound & massive bruising. He also crouched down in another game to stop a low ball coming in & the opposition player decided to have another kick of the ball, straight into DS's head which resulted in concussion. My DS was devastated when I wouldn't let him go to training the next day.
My DS is 17 and 5ft 10 tall, due to the age range, some of the opposition players are 6ft & over and heavily built, so theres a lot of power when they clash.