Four months ago, I was told I have stress fractures in my tibia’s and fibula’s from track. It has been a long, emotional recovery and I am nowhere near where I need to be. At this point the doctors think I might have another issue besides stress fractures. "It pains me to continue but it hurts much worse to stop". Recovering from an injury is the hardest thing, especially when you don't know if you should give up or keep going.
The first step to recovering from an injury, is to admit to yourself that you are injured and can’t keep pushing through the pain. For most athletes this is hard because you don’t want to give up your sport, especially not knowing when you will be able to return. It is important to know when you could risk permanent damage and when you are just dealing with a little pain.
The second step is to consider that you might have to quit your sport in order to be healthy. This is not always the case, but it’s important to consider. By the time you are in college, your body has already taken a lot and it might be time to stop pushing your body.
The third step is to not take your anger out on your family. They are doing everything they can to help you recover, do not get mad at them when it’s not happening as fast as you want it to. Most of all, do not give up.
The last step is to slowly get back into things. You know your body better than anyone else. Do what you can and do not push yourself to do the things you know you can’t. Listen to your body because if not you will risk re-injuring yourself. Be sure to listen to what your physical therapist is telling you to do, as well as listening to your body.
Although physical therapy is hell, just push through it. There is nothing fun about rebuilding muscle or using parts of the body that you haven’t used in months. Working through this pain is just part of the healing process.
The worst part is when you feel so down. You feel like you will never be recovered. You feel like you will never get back to your sport. You feel like nobody is doing what they should to be helping you. It’s important to look at every obstacle from a different view. Challenge yourself to do things you haven’t been able to do in months and then look at it as a positive.
Every athlete recovers differently. Whether you're out for 6 weeks, 6 months, or a year, it's physical torture to not be able to play the sport you love. You’re constantly encountering different feelings. You feel lazy and feel like you are letting down your team. You feel angry, that you got injured and that you still aren’t recovered. Some of you might have recovered quickly and are already back playing. Some of you might never recover and play again. Everyone is different, and no matter what your situation is: stay positive and know that things will eventually get better.
