Sports injuries happen all the time, and depending on the sport, injuries occur more often in some than in others and can shorten a player’s season. When a sports injury occurs, the first instinct is to assess its severity. Can you still play with this injury? Is it just soreness? Or does it require some sort of rehab or physical therapy? A major injury can be stressful and frustrating at times, but many students learn how strong they really are as they work their way back to playing.
Sophomore Isaac Carlson, who fractured his hand and has been in recovery for almost seven months, said he had to adapt to having no practices and workouts because of the worry of re-injuring it.
“I did a lot of physical therapy, and I took time off from practice and in the weight room because I did not want to reinjure it,” Carlson said.
Sports injuries can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of skill level or physical ability. Most injuries are minor and heal quickly, while others can take weeks, months or even years to heal. Missing games, practice or team bonding can definitely affect a player’s mindset and mental toughness for the rest of the year.
Freshman Levi Prowell had a concussion in football during practice early in the season and missed two games out of the eight played during the season. He said his concussion took a lot of time to recover from, but Park athletic trainer Josh Broderson helped him get back sooner and took every day one step at a time
“After my concussion, I spent weeks in Josh’s office trying to get used to exercising again,” Prowell said. “It took a while, but I eventually got back on the field to start on the last game of the season.”
During recovery, most athletes work with coaches or trainers to stay productive during practice or help them get back quicker. Doing this helps slowly rebuild the strength lost when the injury occurred. This will most likely include simple stretches, jogs or resting. Even though this process is time-consuming and arguably the worst part of sports, it is the most important thing to get back into the game and get healthy.
Broderson said concussions are different than any other injury because it tolls many parts of the body through the brain. Because of this, he said he takes concussions with caution because you can rarely tell the severity in the long run.
“Concussions can be a complex injury, it can affect all aspects of well-being in any function the brain controls,” Broderson said. “It’s different because it’s not directly visible like a broken arm, for example. It’s sometimes difficult to understand that it’s just as serious or more serious than the broken arm.”
Recovering from an injury isn’t only physical, it is also mental. Without the right mindset, athletes will rarely recover quickly and will often push themselves to get back as soon as possible. Goals shape a comeback as an athlete to stay positive and focused.
Support is not only needed from coaches and trainers, but teammates, friends and family, which can make a huge difference in recovery. Encouragement from others is one of the best things that can happen for an athlete when trying to come back from a slow recovery.
Carlson said his friends on the team were a big reason he had the urge to try to do his physical therapy, along with truly wanting to get back to games and practice. He also said recovery was focused on the mental aspect rather than the physical.
“My friends helped me try to get past my injury because it really helped me want to get back to playing as soon as possible,” Carlson said.
Broderson said the way to get back to games or practice is there for everyone, but you need to do everything you can to achieve them. He said players need to be accountable for the injuries they have.
“Take ownership of your injury, do your rehab and stay on top of maintenance,” Broderson said. “You are given the things to get better, but you have to do them.”
