Injuries ARE opportunities

Why your injury could be an opportunity for you to succeed?

Now, first and foremost, not all injuries are going to be an opportunity to succeed. Some injuries can have life lasting repercussions and end sporting careers in the blink of an eye. However, if we look deeper and change the narrative, injuries can be a chance to look at thinks through a different lens. Let's. take a look.

We'll take patella tendinitis for example. Inflammation of the patella tendon. This commonly caused by over use of the patella tendon, also known as jumpers knee. This is can be a recurring injury that sidelines an athlete for weeks, if not months if not properly treated. When we take a step back and assess, there's an opportunity to allow the body rest, recovery before gradually reloading the tendons stronger than they were pre-injury. This will increase the tendon's tolerance to exercise meaning it can take more load and demand. This also might give us an indicator that something needs to change to our technique, equipment and training, in order to reduce the chance of this recurring or an injury waiting to happen somewhere else.

This isn't just about reducing the risk of re-injury, or trying to prevent other injuries. There's a whole lot more we can take from these experiences. Mentally, injuries can be one hell of a battle. Take an ACL tear, a 9-12 month painful rehab process that ends athletes seasons, and can ruin careers. A lot of time is spent resting and in the gym everyday pushing for that 0.01% improvement. It takes mental toughness and resilience to keep going despite the long recovery and meticulous training interventions.

Career wise, injuries can be the difference between becoming an elite athlete and stacking shelves in your local shop. But maybe these can be a blessing in disguise? As much as putting a stop to ventures within sport, you may find a love and passion elsewhere. You could help others find their dream, build a business, travel the world. You may even find a new sport that doesn't run risk of re-injury. This will obviously be individual to the person and the injury, some may be able to return to sport at the same level, although occasionally we have to be realistic and look at the bigger picture of life.

In summary, try not to look at an injury as the be all or end all, but an opportunity to come out the other side stronger physically and mentally. Learn from every injury because these lessons can be invaluable.