What To Do When You’re Injured As A Female Athlete

28 Sep What To Do When You’re Injured As A Female Athlete

Injuries suck.

The last thing you want is to be taken from your sport, let alone, watching your teammates work hard and get even fitter as you plop on the sideline in misery.

I get it.

It’s defeating.

You want to be out there sprinting, getting stronger, mastering the craft of your sport, and having laughs with your squad.

But yo.

As miserable as you are, and as much as you want to stare at the four walls of your room and play the victim, there comes a point when you have to take action.

First and foremost, are you in pain?

This is the first sign of injury. Running, jumping, cutting, turning, kicking, passing, and sprinting are now painful, and you can no longer do the primary actions of your sport with ease and intensity.

Second, what are you doing to alleviate the pain?

Continuing to play?

Continuing to do the sprint drills?

Continuing to push to full exertion?

Let me ask you this: how’s that working for you?

Alas, I digress.

As soon as pain creeps in, even the slightest, you have a problem. *cue Jaws music*

Too, this bears repeating: do not push through pain.

As it begins as a dull bother, you shrug your shoulders and say, “oh, it’s no big deal.” Then, you keep plowing through and months down the line, it’s exacerbated into something catastrophic that won’t ever wane away.

I know you want to play.

I know you have that showcase coming up.

I know you have a championship game soon.

I know, but I don’t care.

In order to be your healthiest self for the long-term, it is critical you heal your pain ASAP, then come back stronger than you were prior to injury.

You see, you are worth it to take care of yourself, and to not suffer through chronic nagging pain.

You are worth it to level up even more after you become pain free, and become more explosive, faster and stronger when you return to the pitch.

In the most recent episode of the Soccer Queens Podcast, I discuss what to do when you’re injured, how to heal yourself, and how to know when to outsource to a physical therapist and strength and conditioning professional. I also discuss what it takes to make your sport the easiest thing you do when you get back from injury.

A couple of pointers:

1. Change the Environment

Can you still practice with your team?

Or do you have to completely exit out of that environment to focus on strengthening your body and becoming healthy again?

2. Take Inventory

Are you dialed in with not just your training and strengthening the entirety of your system, but are you sleeping, recovering and nourishing your body so the healing process is more of breeze?

3. Outsource Training

Sometimes, you do everything you can on the inventory list, and you still need help from a professional to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injury, as well as re-learn the motor skills needed to perform the dynamic actions on the pitch.

4. Don’t Rely on Rest and Ice

I’ll say this: rest and ice are the last things you want to do if you’re in pain.

Sure, they may be a temporary relief, but they aren’t solving the break down that is going on physiologically when you’re injured.

Patella pain? Is it a neural issue? Is it a weakness issue?

The ice as your only method of healing doesn’t solve the weakness of your quads, hamstrings and glutes that are causing the instability in the knee.

Nor does it solve your inability to put your body in a stance that takes duress off the knee joint.

5. This is Life!

Injuries happen. Sicknesses happen. Break-ups happen. Losses happen. Catastrophes happen.

But this is life.

Injuries are a metaphor for life: how are you going to analyze your suffering and tweak accordingly to heal yourself and become empowered again?

To listen to the full episode of What To Do When You’re Injured, You Can Watch Here:

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