Injuries can suck more than pretty much anything else. An injury can be especially biting if it is during a sports season. Once you are injured though, you really have no choice, but to accept it and try to make the most out of the situation. The worst thing you can do after an injury is just sit around feeling bad about yourself. Here is a list of things that I have done to get over sports injuries that have kept me benched for months.
- Go to physical therapy
- Most doctors would probably recommend this. Physical therapists know how to keep you from losing too much muscle and can help speed up the recovery process. Physical therapists also have access to tools and equipment you might not have at home. At a therapy session you can have fun and try training tools you never knew existed. At the end of your injury you could easily be just as strong as before your injury.
- Focus on improving fitness in uninjured areas
- When I had a fracture in my leg, I could not doing any activities where I was weight bearing on my leg. I then used the time I would have spent running or doing other things on my legs, on lifting weights and building core and arm muscles in the pool. I also found that I really liked biking. Whatever your injury, there are usually several other sports or forms of fitness that you can still do. An injury is the perfect time to get into and appreciate new sports.
- Get more involved in clubs
- In order to recover, fitness has to go to more of a back burner, so there is more time to invest in other social activities. While injured you can go to more club meetings and club activities. Sometimes you can find that you really enjoy a club or that you have a new hobby outside of your sport.
- Focus on nutrition
- While you cannot fully control how your body heals, you can control what you are eating. Making sure you eat the right things will speed up recovery and keep you at the weight and nutrient levels that are healthy for you.
- Become a really good team cheerleader
- Just because you can’t play, does not mean you can’t be part of the team. You can still enjoy your team sports by investing yourself in the achievements of your friends and teammates. You can cheer on your team and encourage your friends to do their best. If you are a committed friend and cheerleader you can be just as much a part of the team as the people playing.
- Sleep
- Recovery happens the best when you are asleep so it makes sense to try and get as much sleep as you can. Even though it can be hard to get the proper amount of sleep, you really need to in order to help your body heal and get back on the court, track, or field.
