Dealing With Injury

Back in November R started complaining of pain in her knee when she did high impact activities like vault and some of her floor routine. We took her to the doctor, who put us in physical therapy. After a bit of rest, and conversations with her physical therapist, we opted for a plan that would get her through competition season and the state meet. Her diagnosis was patellar tendonitis, or runner's/jumper's knee. Basically, it's overuse, and while she won't hurt it more, it will hurt.

So we got through state, and met with PT again, deciding that we would give R the chance to work through the pain so she can compete in Chicago in February. Basically, the only real option is rest, and she didn't want to miss out on a big opportunity to compete. This was such a hard decision as a mom, trying to balance it all. After a week off at Christmas, and trying to go full force at practice in the new year, she was still having a lot of trouble. We talked with her coaches, and agreed that the best way to deal with this was to take the break that she was trying to avoid. 

We just finished week two of the break (still at the gym, only doing conditioning - her arms and abs are going to be insane), and we're following a strict ice and children's Motrin routine. She is definitely not the first gymnast (or athlete) to deal with an issue like this, but it's the first time we're dealing with something like this. It's been a long, frustrating journey. We're fortunate to have great coaches who have been really helpful and understanding, but she just wants to feel better and get back to work, so it's tough. We've got a knee brace now that I picked up at Sports Authority, and she's starting to feel better, but it's still a long process. 

Any advice or suggestions? How have you kept spirits up while dealing with injury?