There are many ways to look at injuries in athletics. Some injuries need medical attention, some don’t. Some injuries you can play through, some require rest to heal. Some are career-ending, and others allow a full recovery. Some injuries are of a sudden onset, some more gradual like overuse injuries.
Let’s consider one more category of injury—the injury we use as an excuse to quit. “I hurt my knee back in high school, so I can’t really do much anymore,” or “I threw out my back a few years ago, so I’ve pretty much had to just lay around since then.” Shame on us.
I tore a calf muscle in the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon a few months ago. It happened around mile nine. It was painful for about a quarter of a mile, and then the pain diminished by about 90 percent, so I continued on through the next 17 miles. Had I seen the pool of blood forming in the lower half of my leg, I would have pulled off the course. I did not, so I completed the race.
Early in the recovery period, I consulted with my family doctor and an athletic trainer. Following their advice, I began resting and treating the leg. I continued working other body parts in order to maintain some level of conditioning and to keep exercise in my daily and weekly schedule. I added elliptical training, easy stair machine, and then running, until it finally healed completely.
Many injuries are from running into or tripping over something, or being hit by something coming at us. To avoid these types of injuries, it’s critically important that we maintain mental and visual focus while participating in our favorite activities. Good vision, free of distracting glare, is an essential part of getting the most out of our fitness activities.
If we are looking for an excuse to quit exercising, we will absolutely find one. If we are looking for a way to continue running marathons, golfing, cycling, walking, doing calisthenics, weight lifting, or other exercise, we will find that too. We may need to make adjustments based on our current fitness level, age, or injury status, but if we are determined, we can continue enjoying the benefits of fitness for a lifetime.
