INJURIES: DEALING WITH OUR EMOTIONS & STRESS
A week ago last Tuesday I went for a morning 12-mile run on the bike path near my house in Ventura. About mile 10 I felt my right knee “slip” and then again about mile 11. But I just ran through it and finished my workout without further pain. But later that afternoon, walking down stairs, I began to feel a burning pain in that knee. First I cursed, then I told myself, “I should have stopped running when I first felt my knee give way. Now, I have ‘runner’s knee’.” Over the next few hours I went through a shift of emotions and several stages of grief over my injury—first anger and denial then sadness and semi-depression. I have the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon coming up the end of May, and thought that I might not be able to run it if I can’t keep up my training. But I iced my knee, and began taking ibuprofen a couple of times a day. I also went online and learned that runner’s knee often is caused by weak quadriceps or tight hamstring or calf muscles. But for me, it could well be arthritis in my knee acting up. In any case, the pain disappeared within 4 days and then I waited another 5 days to run again. I jogged a slow 14 miles yesterday morning and felt no pain in my knees (just in my hips, which I always do). At least for now, the marathon is still on!
I think most of us—especially seniors—have to deal with sports injuries now and again. So, this seemed a good topic to discuss in this week’s post. For the time being, my injury didn’t involve talking with a doctor or physical therapist. Of course, some sports injuries are more serious and it’s difficult not to go into deep emotional stress. Here are excerpts from an article by Elizabeth Quinn in verywellfit.com, 7 Ways to Cope with the Emotional Stress of an Injury:
Coping with the stress of an injury requires both physical and psychological resilience. Sports injury recovery typically focuses on physical rehab, but it’s also important to include sports psychology techniques to help recover mentally and emotionally.
Athletes react to injuries with a wide range of emotions. An injury often seems unfair to anyone who has been physically active and otherwise healthy.
Although these feelings are real, it’s important to move beyond the negative and find more positive strategies to cope with this setback. In many cases dealing gracefully with an injury helps an athlete become more focused, flexible, and resilient.
Here are some sports psychology strategies you can use for faster injury recovery.
Learn About Your Injury
The more you know about the cause, treatment, and prevention of your injury, the less it can cause fear or anxiety.
Ask the following questions of your doctor, trainer, coach or therapist until you know exactly what you can do to heal quickly and fully.
- What is my diagnosis (what type of injury do I have)?
- How long will recovery take?
- What alternative workouts can I safely do?
By understanding the injury and knowing what to expect during the rehabilitation process, you will feel less anxiety and a greater sense of control.
Accept Responsibility for Your Injury
This is not to say that the injury is your fault. What this means is that your mindset needs to change. Instead of focusing on performance, you need to accept that now you have an injury and you are the only one that can fully determine your outcome.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
To heal quickly you need to be committed to overcoming your injury by showing up for your treatments, and listening and doing what your doctor and/or trainer recommend. You also need to monitor your self-talk—what you are thinking and saying to yourself regarding the injury and the rehab process. Remain focused on what you need to do, not what you are missing out on.
Use the Mind to Heal the Body
Growing research shows that it may be possible to speed up the healing process by using specific mental skills and techniques such as imagery and self-hypnosis. Imagery techniques use all of the senses to create mental images, feelings, and sensations related to a desired outcome as though it is happening now or has already happened.
Get Support
A common response after an injury is to isolate yourself from teammates, coaches, and friends. It’s important to maintain contact with others as you recover—they can listen when you need to vent or can offer advice or encouragement during the rehab process.
Just knowing you don’t have to face the injury alone can also be a tremendous comfort. So, go to practice; remain around the locker room and the weight room. Be visible by being an active member of the group.
Set Appropriate Goals
Just because you are injured doesn’t mean you stop planning or setting goals. Rather than viewing the injury as a crisis, make it another training challenge. Your goals will now focus on recovery rather than performance. This will help keep you motivated.
Most athletes have a tendency to try to speed up the recovery by doing too much too soon. It is important to accept that you are injured and know your limits.
Maintain Your Fitness While Injured
Depending upon the type of injury you have, you may be able to modify your training or add alternate forms of training to maintain cardiovascular conditioning or strength. If you can’t run, perhaps you can cycle or swim. Create a modified strength-training program, or focus on better nutritional health
With the right knowledge, support and patience an injury can be overcome without turning your whole world upside down. By taking things slow, setting realistic goals, and maintaining a positive, focused approach, most athletes can overcome minor injuries quickly and major injuries in time.