Well it happens to the best of us. It also happens to most of us if we move. We get a “niggle” or worse – an
injury. Either way, we are stopped
in our tracks. As an athlete that
likes to see what is possible, I have had more than a few of these
experiences. As a coach I have
seen what happens to the athlete as it becomes their reality. Learning to manage the situation
regardless of the severity will make all the difference in the outcome.
The first issue that must be addressed is the fact that most
of us have our identity wrapped up in the results of our sport. When we can’t perform we are forced to
ask the question “who am I”. This
is a valuable process but also very difficult. We must extract our ego from the result and get
clarity on why we do whatever it is that we chose to do. What do we get out of it? How does it feed our soul? What do we really have control
over? Is our self worth dependant
on results or the process of getting results?
Once we have a grasp on where our value really comes from
and what our identity truly is as an athlete, then we can begin to evaluate
what we chose as the process of getting back to action. We become aware that our experience
really is about the journey rather than the destination and this is just part
of the journey. We stop giving
attention to the limiter and start focusing on the solution to getting back on
the path because we know that the “path” is just that a path. When we get out of our own way, the
body can on with it’s job of healing.
I have been told and have experienced that fact that the body is an
amazing healing machine. Our job
is only to coax it along and get out of the way of that healing. As a coach, I have seen so many athletes
trying to “force “ the healing by rushing the process or by ignoring the
symptoms all together. This
doesn’t allow the body to do what it needs to do and the athlete becomes even
more frustrated and a very vicious injury cycle starts. So at this point in the process, we
start asking what the body needs to heal and creating a team of objective
advocates for our body. I have a
complete team of “healers” and advocates that I trust and know what my goals
are and can remind me of the process while coaxing my body into the healing
track. My body’s advocates include
my physical therapists at Promotion Physical Therapy, , my sports doctors, chiropractor at 4Xtreme Health and my coach, Hillary Biscay. They all communicate with one another and are on the same
page.
Now we start to ask the best question: What can I do to stay
in the game and out of the way?
Are there modalities that will allow me to be in the game? Can I do some of my sport? Can I just
move? Is there technology
available to keep me moving?
Studies have shown that movement helps the body heal at a quicker rate
than sedentary. It is critical to
get moving in the way that supports healing.
Finally and perhaps the hardest part, is applying the
lessons learned from the beginning of the process to what the process looks
now. If I can only walk, can I
walk with the same excitement and dedication as I did before? Can I still glean the lessons I need to
learn while not working at the same place as I did before the bump in the
path. If I am focused on the
bigger questions I will get the lessons I need and will return to the game. In that process, I become a more
complete person and athlete. I
will be able to play again even harder until we come back around to learning
the next lesson.
