| How many times have you heard a story similar to this one:
"I can remember it was a sunny day, perfect for a ride on the cross-country trails. I just turned down a huge hill and my front tire got stuck in the dirt, twisted, and over the handlebars I went.
"My bike only landed on me once... while I was rolling. It seemed like 30 seconds later I tumbled into a tree and it got me again. I didn't break anything, but the entire left side of my body was road-rashed and I was covered in dirt and blood from head to foot...."
Or something like: "There was a pile of players and I reached down, picked up the ball, got hit, and all I heard was a 'snap.' My upper body moved but my leg didn't."
Ask anyone about one of his or her worst sports injuries and many will remember the event as if it just happened.
"Pain is a great stimulus and most patients can vividly recall their injury," says Dr. Don McKenzie, a longtime sports medicine doctor.
He explains that people are alert after an injury because their sympathetic nervous system kicks in immediately and their cognitive functions are in overdrive, so the memories may be vivid.
"Not many patients 'feel the pain' again, but most can remember specifics about the injury – a 'pop,’ 'snap,’ 'crack,' etc."
Dr. David Paskevich, a sport psychologist and associate kinesiology professor at the University of Calgary, offers a similar explanation.
"An injury is an emotional moment," he says. "When things are emotional versus non-emotional, they're very vivid."
And that emotion also means that any recollection of an accident may contain flaws.
"Re-living of the injury really embeds the pain and the fear and makes it almost permanent," he says. "Over time it may be embellished. The facts may be misconstrued."
Regardless of how people remember the incident that put them on the sidelines, Paskevich believes the recovery process is twofold.
"If we want to recover from injuries physically, the mind-body continuum still exists," he says. "(We've) got to rehabilitate from a mental perspective."
That mental rehabilitation may, or may not, take a lot of time.
"When we're talking a horrific crash, some may never get beyond (that)," Paskevich says. "It's not an easy thing."
For some, notably professional or Olympic athletes, a serious injury could be potentially career-threatening and life-altering. But recreational athletes aren't immune from the negative effects of injury, either. Setting a personal goal to complete a marathon or a triathlon, for example, and being unable to finish the event can be depressing, although not necessarily financially limiting.
Regardless of someone's athletic level, Paskevich says there are techniques people can use, with practice, to help overcome their apprehension about returning to activity. These techniques include relaxation and visualization, among others.
"Just about everyone's visualized," he says. "We all daydream. If you're focusing on the pain, the chance of re-injury (increases)."
By concentrating on the pain instead of seeing yourself crossing the finish line, the body will become tense, muscles won't move as freely, breathing patterns can change, and so on.
"What athletes have to do is self-monitor what they're thinking and saying to themselves. Monitor what that is. Is it related to things that will increase tension and doubt? (Pain) can be a profound reminder. Our mind can really fool our physiology."
And for all of us, let's hope the injury stories remain issues of the past. |
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