HEALTH
How to deal with injuriesBY WILLIAM YOUNG ON MAY 16, 2014
Athletes put their body on the line everyday playing sports. Competitive sports put an excessive amount of strain on athletes’ bodies. While injuries are unfortunate, they are a big part of sports. An important part of being an athlete is being able to overcome injuries and get back on track.
Sophomore Maggie Hallow has fought through a couple injuries in her volleyball career. As a freshman, Hallow started for the Rose volleyball team and was a big part of that team’s successful season and run in the playoffs. However, this year she was held back by an unfortunate injury. “I fractured my L4 vertebrae and that’s why I was out for four months for Rose,” Hallow said. The injury needed a lot of time and effort in order to heal correctly so Hallow could get back on the court in good condition. “I was in a back brace for four months and then an extra two months with no physical activity,” Hallow said. Hallow was restricted from exercising for half of a year and was eager to get back to playing volleyball. “I was nervous because I was out of shape and thought I had lost my skills since I was out for so long but my coaches and my teammates helped me out a lot, ” Hallow said. Recently, she injured her shoulder by straining her rotator cuff. She is currently trying to rehab it. “I go to physical therapy three times a week and do arm stretches everyday, and I’m not supposed to play for six weeks,” Hallow said. Hallow has to diligently care for her shoulder if she wants to be ready for summer workouts for Rose volleyball. Both of her injuries occurred due to her passion for the sport. “My back and my shoulder were hurt due to overuse. I was playing almost 6 hours a day and I ignored the pain because I thought it was muscle but it was the bones,” Hallow said. “If I play too much in a certain period of time then I can still feel the pain in my back,” Hallow said. Senior football player Khalil Smith was a vital part of the Rose football team’s outstanding season and playoff run. He recently recovered from one of the most severe injuries athletes can get. “I tore my ACL in the third round of the playoff game against Scotland County,” Smith said. “I was trying to run out of bounds but my leg got caught in the grass and it snapped back.” Smith was lucky in the sense that he did not have to miss any games except the one in which he was hurt. However, an ACL tear is about as serious as it gets and needs a significant amount of time to heal. “It affected me for around six to eight months, Smith said.” Even though that is still a lengthy period of time, ACL tears usually require more time than Smith needed. He recovered faster than normal by persistently pushing through discomfort and doing all he could to get back on the field. “I did squats and bandwork, I also got in the pool. I did rehab three times a week,” Smith said. Thanks to Smith’s determination and passion for football, his knee has healed and he is ready to continue his football career. “It feels great that I can play football again and I’m ready to start playing for Methodist University,” Smith said. Even though the injury has healed, it is still weaker than before and will need attention. “I’ll continue to work out my knee for two times a week so it can stay strong,” Smith said. Athletes take the risk of injuring themselves when they are playing sports. However playing the sports they love is worth risk and is the incentive for fighting through and recovering if they get hurt. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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