Managing Injuries — It’s not just physical

Hi. My name is Michael. I’m doing my internship at Logit.AI this summer as a business development analyst. This lesson started in my final year in high school. I was the captain of the Rugby team, having more experience playing rugby than most kids my age.
Our team had made it to the consolation final that year , that meant we had to play 3 games in a short time span of 36 hours. If you know a thing or two about rugby — you will know that that many back-to-back intense rugby games are not meant to be played *foreshadowing*. By the end of game 3, we were battered and bruised and both teams were mentally and physically destroyed.
The Final Play
During the final moments of the game, both teams were flying around the pitch, exchanging blows and trying to penetrate each other’s defensive line. I decided to kick the ball for territory but because I was so worn down, I rushed it. As I proceeded to kick the ball, one of the opponents players barged into my leg and *crack* — Tibia broken (that little bone that connects your knee to your ankle).
As you can guess, I was in excruciating pain. It was not only physical agony from the injury, but mental agony from the thought that my athletic career could be over. Following a successful summer playing with the Ontario Provincial team, I was going to be scouted by the national team. However, all hope of playing for the national team fell through and I would be entering my first year as a freshman barely healed and completely out of shape.

How to cope with injuries?
If there is something I can pass on, it’s the idea that:
“It’s not what happens to you but how you react to it.”
I did not react well. I was punishing myself by either blaming myself or the sport. I fell out of love with Rugby as a whole. I had 3 broken bones, 4 significant muscle strains (not to mention countless tweaks) and hundreds of bruises. Here are 4 ways you can reduce your sorrows and face them head on;
- Don’t be short sighted: Injuries take time and can be frustrating. So setting small attainable daily or weekly goals for yourself is important. [E.g., I made an effort to take an additional 10 steps each day. By the end of 3 weeks I could walk around my living room!]
- Improve your sport IQ: It is very easy to sit on the couch and do nothing until you are healed (feeling sorry for yourself is not an option!) but this is an excellent time to watch your sport and improve your sport IQ. [E.g., I watched Rugby basic videos, learning and improving on the form I had. It seemed that I could have protected myself from that injury if I prepared myself.]
- Make sure the rest of your body is ready to return: If possible, make sure you still go to the gym to keep the rest of your body working at a high level. Once your injury heals, you want to be able to focus on rehabbing it, not the rest of your body which you have not been using. [E.g., I couldn’t control losing muscle in my leg, but I didn’t want to spend time rebuilding my upper body strength so I maintained my core and upper body strength using the TRX]
- Stay involved: It is important to not divide yourself from your team after an injury. There are ways to make an impact off the field. Your teammates will support you and this way you can still feel part of the team. [E.g., My team was extremely jazzed when I continued to support them, I felt like a proud mom watching the team play well from the sidelines.]

Although breaking my leg in grade 12 was a massive test of my commitment to rugby, following the tips mentioned above reaped huge dividends. When I got to Queen’s University, although I was not playing on the first team right away, I stayed involved. By mid-season, I made it to the first team and never looked back. We went on to win the OUA championship that year and the two years following. I was named Captain and MVP of the team in my fourth year. Imagine if I let that broken leg dictate my rugby career?
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