Sustaining an injury is a likely occurrence for any athlete. It could happen during training or an event. Depending on the injury, it can have a significant impact on an athlete. Injuries are an athlete’s biggest fear. It prevents them from participating in their sport and pushing the progress they have made back. In worst-case scenarios, an injury could bring an athlete’s sporting career to an abrupt end.
Whilst most injuries cause a setback to an athlete’s process, they can have a significant impact on them. Regardless of the setback, it can affect their mental, physical, and even emotional wellbeing.
Recovering from an injury can feel almost impossible at times. It is demanding and exhausting, but the result is being able to go back into your sport. Your coach might have placed you on a rigorous recovery program. These additional tips will help you along in your journey to recovery.
Avoid Giving Into The Fear
Sustaining a major injury can have more than just a physical impact on a person. It can affect a person’s mindset. You may find yourself questioning your abilities as an athlete, wondering if you will ever be able to play again as you make your way through your recovery process.
These negative thoughts can be overpowering. It is they will be draining and discouraging. If you believe these negative thoughts about whether you will still have the same capabilities as before, it can be demoralizing.
Your road to recovery is about resting. It is your time to build your strength back up so you can get back into playing, the same as you did before your injury.
Give Yourself A Massage
Incorporating massage into your road to recovery, as well as post-recovery, will help in reducing sore muscles. The impact it can have is only a slight difference. However, it can vastly improve an athlete’s flexibility.
Look into investing in a Theragun prime to help you relieve any tension you have in your muscles. Using a Theragun will be helpful during your recovery process. It can also be used after training sessions when you are back to being 100%.
Surround Yourself With Support
During your recovery process, you want to have a supportive network of people around you. It could be your teammates, coaches, as well as your family, and friends. These are the people you want around you when recovering from an injury. The support will help you along in your journey.
Your friends and family can support you and ensure that you are getting rest as per the recommendations from the medical team. The support from teammates and coaches is to try and ensure that you still feel part of the team, despite not being able to attend events. They will remain close during your recovery to ensure that you are still part of their team and the steps they take going forward.
Be Patient In The Process
There is no definitive timeframe for how long recovery can take. Each injury has an estimated recovery time. However, everyone heals differently. Some find themselves making a full recovery far quicker than someone else. When you are on the road to recovery, take your time with the process.
You may find yourself making significant improvements. Understandably, it will be exciting for you.
You will want to push yourself to do more. It is in these moments where you need to pace yourself. When your recovery is still miles away from being 100%, you want to stop yourself from returning to your sport, participating the way you did before you sustained an injury. Instead, do light training with zero contact. It will keep you moving, whilst ensuring that you are not putting yourself at risk of sustaining another injury.
If you push too hard, especially when you have improved, you risk aggravating your injury. By aggravating your injury, you are further delaying your recovery process. Listen to the recommendations made by doctors to help you avoid any setbacks.
The Long Road To Recovery
Sustaining an injury as an athlete is understandably not ideal. If you have sustained a significant injury in your sport, the road to recovery will at times be a grueling process to complete.
The strenuous recovery process will teach you numerous valuable lessons. It can show you new techniques you can use to help build your strength back up. During your recovery journey, you might also have adjusted your playing style into something a little safer.
It might be done unintentionally, or you altered it to avoid sustaining a similar injury in the future. Either way, you will approach training in a different manner than you did before your injury. Before you know it, you will be back playing your sport with a determination to succeed.
