The psychology of coming back from an injury

[thatgirljj]

About 2 months ago, I got rear ended in my car, resulting in a moderate whiplash injury. It wasn't severe enough to cause any long term problems (although it was pretty miserable in the short term), but I had a 6 week layoff from my normal workouts while I regained mobility in my neck and shoulders.  Right now I've had a couple of weeks back at working out and I'm so frustrated as the strength I've lost in the meantime.  

 

Mentally, in my head, I'm unconsciously thinking I'm as strong as I was before and then my body just falls short, just gives up at 8 reps instead of 10, or a 5 second hold instead of 10 seconds.  Logically, I know I should ease up.  Logically, I know I will bounce back.  But emotionally?  Emotionally I'm really freaking upset, part of me fears I'll never get it back, and part of me is just plain annoyed that my image of myself doesn't match up with the current reality.

 

Any thoughts?  Similar experiences?  Good solid kicks to my ego?

[PaulG]

I hear you. I had a similar experience -- due to a broken wrist and a bruised meniscus I had to take 5 months off any strength training. Leading up to those injuries, I had stalled on a bunch of my exercises and couldn't figure out how to restart. Taking time off just about killed me. The only way I dealt was by reading a ton on fitness and collecting some major underpants.

Then I just started charting out my programming. I found it comforting to think about my injury scientifically instead of emotionally. Charting a path to rebuilding the strength I lost kept me from feeling too bad. It paid off -- by the time I was nearly healed I had a full six weeks of strength training planned, right down to my reps for each day.

But when I finally started, the fear of plateauing again was still with me. I was definitely afraid I wouldn't be able to break past my limits from the year before. If I hadn't had a program already written out, I might have gotten nervous and changed things, or given up.

That lasted right up until I broke my first plateau (making it past 6 pull-ups) and saw that yes, I could get even stronger. It took me about four weeks of training to do it, but seeing it on the horizon helped a lot to keep me levelheaded and patient, as did tracking my progress. And I think that patience is the most important tool we have to get stronger and fitter in the end.

[Wolverine]

I had abdominal surgery a couple of months ago.  I had to take off 6 weeks of regular training (I modified my workouts - no lower body, no core).  I'm currently in the process of rebuilding what once was.  I am definitely not where I was pre-surgery, but as the weeks go by I am more and more optimistic.  Muscle mass and strength gains are coming a lot more quickly than they did the first time around.

 

Your strength hasn't been lost, it's just on a brief sabbatical...

[thatgirljj]

Thank you guys!  I really needed to hear some stories like that, of how folks bounced back.  Wolverine, I had no idea you were rebuilding post abdominal surgery... the way you're tackling things in your challenge is pretty fierce considering.  PaulG, I think you exemplify what I'd *like* my brain to be doing (being logical and methodical about the layoff) and it's a great reminder to work to keep my head in that space as much as possible.

 

I had my last PT visit today, and when I whined to her about it... her response was pretty much like Athena's: I've held onto a lot of strength, it's not as bad as I think.  It totally could be worse.  I gotta focus on the wins.

 

Anyway... any more supportive stories would be great... it really helps me focus on where I need to be mentally right now.

 

-jj

[cline]

Thank you guys! I really needed to hear some stories like that, of how folks bounced back. Wolverine, I had no idea you were rebuilding post abdominal surgery... the way you're tackling things in your challenge is pretty fierce considering. PaulG, I think you exemplify what I'd *like* my brain to be doing (being logical and methodical about the layoff) and it's a great reminder to work to keep my head in that space as much as possible.

I had my last PT visit today, and when I whined to her about it... her response was pretty much like Athena's: I've held onto a lot of strength, it's not as bad as I think. It totally could be worse. I gotta focus on the wins.

Anyway... any more supportive stories would be great... it really helps me focus on where I need to be mentally right now.

-jj

Okay. First, your body will totally come back from this. I know whiplash sucks big time and wow it hurts!!! But you healed so your body will too. Promise. Know that and have faith in it. Second, get your head in the game mentally. This is the hard part. If you don't commit 100% mentally, you won't improve. I know it's hard. Find it. And third, I find leaving PT to be tough. It's a safe place and you make gains there. But it's time to fly!!!!

I will post again from work bc oh lawdy I can respond to this. I will help you out however I can.

Know this: it's your choice and you have chosen (see this post)! So...all you have to do is finish it now. In other words, you got this.

[GingaNinja]

I am really sorry to hear that, it is really crap.

 

I can emphasize as I've been trying to bounce back from my break from last year and it's been quite the journey. I was meant to be recovered late last year but I had complications. I was still experiencing a lot of pain long after the bone had healed. I thought I will never get better and that I wouldn't be able to do all the things I wanted in life because of one small fuck up. However I had my OP and progress is slow but I am getting there! My I feel like I can start to get back to normal and maybe even go back to my bar job soon and I can work out again and I'm getting better every week.

 

I was a pretty active person generally in my life before, I walked everywhere and worked out  3 times a week and taking a break from all of that was horrible so I can only imagine what you have been going through. Go easy on yourself, don't beat yourself up about it, none of this is your fault just a set back, you will get better and bounce back amazingly. You will get all your strength back in no time!

[cline]

I am really sorry to hear that, it is really crap.

 

I can emphasize as I've been trying to bounce back from my break from last year and it's been quite the journey. I was meant to be recovered late last year but I had complications. I was still experiencing a lot of pain long after the bone had healed. I thought I will never get better and that I wouldn't be able to do all the things I wanted in life because of one small fuck up. However I had my OP and progress is slow but I am getting there! My I feel like I can start to get back to normal and maybe even go back to my bar job soon and I can work out again and I'm getting better every week.

 

I was a pretty active person generally in my life before, I walked everywhere and worked out  3 times a week and taking a break from all of that was horrible so I can only imagine what you have been going through. Go easy on yourself, don't beat yourself up about it, none of this is your fault just a set back, you will get better and bounce back amazingly. You will get all your strength back in no time!

 

ugh.  sucks.  Sorry to hear this!!! Lingering pain is a terrible issue to deal with. 

 

Progress IS progress!!!!  Keep at it!! Chip away little by little.  You'll get there!!!!! 

[cline]

Okay.  Back to positive stories. 

 

I've told this story elsewhere so I'll try to be brief-ish.  A few years ago, I broke my ankle and tore a tendon requiring surgery to fix the ankle and a tendon reconstruction.  I was fairly active at that point and simply devastated.  But I was determined to get better.  I had two weeks where I had to be flat on my back 24/7.  Talk about horrific!  When I could move more and situp I did seated dumb bell curls, presses, etc. some resistance bands and so on until I got my walking cast and could go to PT.  I loved PT.  Saw huge gains and felt comfortable there because I felt safe.  Leaving was hard.

 

Finding out the bone didn't heal and I needed another surgery a year later was harder.  But I was more determined.  So note, at this point, I wasn't healed.  In the meantime, I suffered a stress fracture b/c my foot was in a cast for so long.  Set back.  I dealt with it an moved on.  Dismissed from PT try to get back to normal.

 

Finding out AGAIN I wasn't healed and this time needed a horrible surgery to do a bone graft.  This involved surgically operating on my knee and my ankle and hardware and 2 weeks in bed on my back and so on.  More PT.  This time I had to PT my knee and ankle at the same time.  And I did it bc I wanted my life back. 

 

7 mos later I made a workout change and hired a personal trainer who understood and could work with my "limitations".  Dr.  said to not run, I could leisurely ride a bike, I could walk but the rest of my life was the elliptical and stationary bike.  I found that unacceptable.  I was overweight by 30-40 pounds and even though I was in really good shape, I wasn't where I wanted to be.  For example, I couldn't get my deadlift past 180-185.  Squat?  I never did those with a barbell b/c of my ankle and knee.  Etc.  This trainer was awesome and I seriously changed my workouts.

 

In just over a year, I'd improved all my lifts, become much stronger, could run 5K, could compete in obstacle courses, and so on.  AND then I got a double stress fracture in my leg.  Why?  My body just wasn't quite ready and I was over compensating on one side - something that came from 3 years of imbalance in my life.

 

I felt horrible.  I fell apart.  I'd finally felt healthy, was making amazing progress, and now I felt "it's all ruined".  I totally wallowed in self pity to the point that I was sick of me.  I engaged my trainer and I whined and complained and felt sorry for myself.  And he put together an amazing program that let me workout without putting weight on my legs.  and I came to love him for that.  I mean, really really valued him.  I gave up on me but he didn't.  He saw it as a little bump in the road for a couple of months.  And he helped me regain that faith in myself.  I mean huge life lesson from him.  Work around the injuries so you can heal.  Don't work through them.  Work around and you'll be fine.

 

I took up bike riding again and swimming.  I learned I could, if I worked really hard, swim more than I ever thought possible (and I hated every minute of it but it was good for me and let me meet goals).  And 30 mi bike rides became a weekend ritual.  I found so much solace and confidence to rebuild. 

 

Then, I got mad.  This wasn't happening again.  I kept training and I started doing things I'd never done.  I mean wow things. 

 

Then, almost exactly 2 years to the date of the last surgery, I had another one.  Totally different issue this time - I blew out my meniscus and had to have it dealt with. 

 

I did not fall apart.  I wallowed a smidge.  But then I was determined that I'd be better than ever.  I PR'd lifts and did some amazing things in the two weeks before my surgery.  The day before, I lifted for 2 hours and ran a 5K.  I was determined. 

 

I made a plan for my rehab.  On my terms b/c I know how to rehab.  I know what's good, what's bad, what I need, where I want to be and so on. 

 

So.  There it is.  I'm 10 days post op.  On the 3rd day after surgery, I was in the gym on a dr/me approved plan.  Now I'm lifting w restrictions, riding the stationary bike, doing the elliptical, etc.  Working on those parts of the body that weren't impacted.  Building strength where I can and rebuilding where I have to.  and I'm okay.  I will get better.  It's just going to take a while. 

 

I know this:

 

1.  If you push it too hard and in the wrong way, you don't heal.  You will stay hurt and/or get hurt.  You know how to approach your return to training b/c you discussed it with your PT.  If you didn't, go back and discuss it. 

 

2.  You need realistic goals re: rebuilding.  My surgeon is a sports surgeon.  He said:  week 3 you can start to squat with 1/3 your normal weight.  Not until then and not more to start.  Then he said:  understand, coming back from this your squats will not improve in a linear or fast manner.  You will stop and start and will hit a lot of plateaus.  You will not be at your max weight within 2 weeks.  That's normal for this surgery and your recovery.  Okay.  That means I'm not PRing a squat or even squatting most of my weight next week.  Ok.  but I will tell you this:  I already emailed my coach and said "we're squatting next week".  I will only get back to where I was if I start where I am.  I accept the dr's recommendations. 

 

3.  For most of us and for most of our injuries, we will recover.  It takes a lot longer than you think.  But we do recover.

 

4.  It's mental.  Period.  It's mental.  If you think you can't or you won't or it will never be the same, then it won't be.  I've seen this so many times.  If you think "dude I can so be back to normal and man, now that I feel good I might try something new" you will.  Here's what I did with this surgery:  I am an athlete.  I will see a sports med team and rehab like an athlete.  An athlete has reasonable goals and works until goals are met.  An athlete wouldn't quit. 

 

In the meantime, I've had to stop doing a sport I love for about 2 mons.  This is a difficult sport and doc said the very last thing I can come back to at about 2 mos (keep in mind, I can lift heavy but not do my sport).   I'm falling out of conditioning for that sport.  Okay.  So what do I do?  Watch vids, go watch practice, talk about it, I talk to my coaches now and then, etc.  I keep it fresh in my mind b/c I'm hungry to return.

 

I see in your avatar that you look pretty amazing.  I think your amazing stuff will come back pretty quickly.  And I think you'll be even more amazing.

 

It's mental.  You will heal.  You will.  You have already chosen to do that.  You will gain strength.  Be patient, be smart, be kind to your healing body.  But don't even for a minute think you can't or won't.  You can!!!!  You will!!!!

[GingaNinja]

Sorry I didn't mean for my post to sound like such a total downer! 

[jjhatch]

I'll put in my own story...

 

Back in January I got sick. Like, 105 degree fever sick. Long story short (I'll share the details if anyone is interested), I had a bacterial infection in my bloodstream which attacked the mitral valve in my heart. So I had to have open heart surgery to repair the valve.

The surgery went well, I was treated for the infection and then started cardiac rehab. It was a long process, but thankfully in the year prior I had lost 70 lbs, and had picked up running so my recovery went pretty fast. I was in rehab for about 3 months, and went 3 days a week for about an hour each time. I had an awesome PT who helped me every step of the way, and I progressed through rehab fast, and was running in late March/early April.

 

Ironically, I'm probably in better shape now than I was before the surgery. I'm still around the same weight, however with rehab they focused equally on both cardio and strength training which I wasn't really doing before (I didn't get into running until July/August 2012, and I started losing weight in January 2012). I had been doing some bodyweight exercises at home before the surgery, but it was hard for me to stick with the program.

 

And even though I was using weight machines at rehab (and still am, my "exercise prescription" with machines ends at the end of the month), I'm definitely stronger now than before. But it was definitely frustrating, and it still is as I'm still not quite back at my previous endurance with running. And it took SO long for me to transition from a fast walk to running, my PT put it off for I think 2-3 weeks?

But like everyone else has said, you WILL get back to your previous strength, but only if you work at it.

[cline]

Sorry I didn't mean for my post to sound like such a total downer! 

 

It didn't!  Not at all!

[cline]

And even though I was using weight machines at rehab (and still am, my "exercise prescription" with machines ends at the end of the month), I'm definitely stronger now than before. But it was definitely frustrating, and it still is

 

THIS!  Use ALL the machines!!! 

 

the first time around I was all "oh machines suck, nobody real uses machines, functional fitness, whole body movement is where it's at".  WRONG. 

 

Get on the machines.  They will help you rehab!!! 

 

Fast forward to now.  I'm doing a lot of power lifting so imagine this:  I have to use a freakin machine.  But you know what?  YEAH I AM b/c I'll be ready to squat when I can.  And honestly, I learned to not let it bother me.

 

Oh yeah and I looked up some machine stuff (for me, leg press) in t-nation and felt better.

 

Truth is - those machines are assume for all sorts of rehab!!! yea machines!!!

[thatgirljj]

Cline, my god, you've been through a lot.  It seems like you've learned an amazing level of mental toughness going through that.  And you're probably damn near an expert at rehab now!  :-)  

 

KingLeeroy, I don't think that's a downer at all.  Persistant pain is a bitch... but it sounds like you're working your way back from it at the best pace you can.

 

And for me, it's not machines, it's therabands.  I know, the same stuff they give old ladies to exercise with... but they've done a ton to improve the mobility of all the muscles that were locked up.  So I've done them religiously, since I could tell pretty immediately how much they were helping.

 

-jj

[nninn]

I have the opposite issue.  Rather than thinking I can do more than I actually can, I'm afraid to even try.  Several months ago I suffered a knee injury (second time - same injury to the same knee) and though it's mostly healed, it's still weak and I am TERRIFIED of another injury.  Overcoming the mental block has proved to be much more challenging the second time around.

[GingaNinja]

Nninn, I a really sorry you are suffering a mental block, it is hard to overcome. I would really recommend seeing a physiotherapist, they will ease you into a buncg of small exercises, getting your strength back is the best way to not injure yourself again and it will come back! 

[alienjenn]

What cline said

I broke my foot in August... I didn't get off my couch (basically... wasn't allowed to put weight on my foot and walking with crutches was near impossible for me) for eight weeks... it was twelve weeks before I could walk without a limp... it's nearly a year later and some days at the end of a long night at work I'm limping

I still have times where I'm afraid... and I think I always will be... every single time I start to jog I HEAR the sound my foot made when I broke it (I was jogging when I broke it)... every time I do push ups I'm terrified that shear is going to break me again.... it's getting better... it's less "oh holy mother of God stop now before it's too late" fear and "oh crap it's possible to happen again" fear... I've worked with it and now it's that "be cautious of where your feet go with every single step" fear rather than "don't make a move or pain will kill you" fear

The point is learn your limits exactly (from a good qualified sports doc) then work to push them... be scientific about it... make a plan then work the plan...

It gets better

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[cline]

Therabands are awesome!!! I'm using a band now for banded laterals for knee rehab.

 

Hey... Try. Really.

 

Start small and slow and surprise yourself. It is scary. Totally.

 

One of the last things to come back for me? Stairs down.

 

Oh and I cried the first time my PT made me walk wo crutches bc I was so afraid. No pain, just fear. She was awesome and told me it happens a lot.

 

Start small.

 

I ran 2 mi yesterday 14 days after knee surgery.

[cline]

I have the opposite issue.  Rather than thinking I can do more than I actually can, I'm afraid to even try.  Several months ago I suffered a knee injury (second time - same injury to the same knee) and though it's mostly healed, it's still weak and I am TERRIFIED of another injury.  Overcoming the mental block has proved to be much more challenging the second time around.

 

yeah I sooooo get this!  3 surgeries on same ankle!  BUT here's the thing - I'm cautious and careful and work on it every day.

 

Start really small.  Little victories add up quickly.

[girljen]

A surgery is actually what brought me here.

 

I was sick for about 9 months with a miserable bout of endometriosis.  I spent most of my time sitting around, thus erasing any workout gains I'd made prior to my illness.  Then I was scheduled for a surgery that would result in me being a piece of furniture for about two weeks.

 

I decided to treat the whole ordeal as a hard reset.  Instead of comparing myself to what I could do previously, I told myself that I would be starting over from nothing.  I would establish a baseline and go from there.

 

During my recovery, I found NF.  Score!!  Lucky coincidence there.  Anyway, I read until I got the ok to go back to normal physical activity...and then I found my baseline.  It was a rather disappointing baseline; one Beginner Bodyweight Circuit damn near killed me.  I've been building up ever since, though.

[jnicole]

I can't tell you how relieving it is to read all of your stories. Found this thread as I was freaking out about how to keep up momentum post-procedure.

 

I am having knee surgery in September to reconstruct a ligament, which will be EXACTLY 18 months and 1 week from the date of my injury.

I am TERRIFIED of

1) re-injuring myself after surgery

2) trying to take things too fast coming back

3) gaining back the weight I've lost and more (I'll be non-weight bearing and on crutches for 8 weeks)

 

It's great to hear from others that it IS possible to keep pushing through after a medical setback, and that coming out of it CAN be done, and done well. That in mind, I've still got 2 months to make things happen before the procedure. If only the pain from over-compensation in the good knee would stop. Up till now, I was doing a lot of walking, and feeling great - but I've got some kind of painful inflammation in the good knee now, which is another little hurdle to jump on the road to getting healthy again.

 

Thank you for sharing your stories here. They are very encouraging!

 

JJ - keep going, it sounds like you want to get back to where you started, and I'm sure that with that kind of attitude and the wisdom to make slow progress as needed, you'll be back to your best self again!

[Zorch]

Tje recovery process varies depending on the type of injury you sustain, but I can speak to my experience with two different injuries(one of which didn't have a physical recovery period, but has a definite psychological component).  For me recovery really was psychological, as the injuries came from a distinct, traumatic event as opposed to something uncontrollable.

 

1. Spring 2011 - Bicycle crash - I'd actually broken my elbow in a much lower-speed bicycle crash before and the physical rehab was longer, but this one was a lot scarier and took a much greater psychological toll.  Basically I was on a road bike, going down a hill at a high rate of speed(nearly 35 mph) around a curve, and then suddenly came across a small trickle of water, a couple inches across, running across the road.  I think you can picture the ensuing physics.  The good news here is that I managed to slide instead of tumble, and I was wearing a helmet that sustained some damage that would have otherwise been inflicted upon my head.  The bad news is that sliding in nothing but a t-shirt and pair of shorts at 30-35 mph still removes a LOT of skin and really hurts.  I still have the scars from this one, but thankfully there was actually no major damage

 

Now, here's part of the rub: I was about 11 miles from "home", in a foreign country.  And that the people that I could have called for help on the cell I had with me were all out of town/travelling.  As I said, luckily I slid instead of tumbled, and my bike only sustained minor damage(I was on the bottom when bike and rider slid), so I was actually able to ride home, albeit as a bloody mess.  But the thought of what could have happened haunted me.

 

2. Winter 2012 - skiing accident.  I wasn't wearing a helmet this time(THIS WAS REALLY FREAKING STUPID.  ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET WHEN SKIING.  SNOW IS NOT SOFT WHEN YOU'RE GOING FAST).  I ended up catching an edge at a pretty high rate of speed and bounces off the snow pretty hard.  I had some definite whiplash and a possible concussion.  The good news here is that other than a stiff neck I was pretty much fine by day 2, but the psychological aspects...

 

 

After the above 2 accidents, I now have mental "issues" that I didn't have in the past with any activity that has me moving at a high rate of speed outside the confines of a cockpit.  Pushing the envelope to near that edge where I could lose control and crash is something that I've had to get used to again, really gradually.  The only thing I can say here is that focusing on becoming better at control at higher speeds has been about all I can do.  Before these accidents, I tended to shrug off little bobbles at high speed and simply apply corrections to get back in control - now if something doesn't feel quite perfect my first instinct is to slow down.  The only way I've been able to deal with this is to work on becoming technically better so that I'm better at staying in control at high speed.  Strength training has helped with this for skiing, but on the bike it's really been a tough process.  I'm still a lot more cautious than I used to be.

 

I don't really know what else to add, other than that for certain accident-related injuries, the mental recovery is a really gradual process, where you have to regain your confidence with your body's capabilities and limits.  It's not easy, but I think pushing your limits in the safest environment possible to build confidence in your body is immensely helpful.

[cline]

I can't tell you how relieving it is to read all of your stories. Found this thread as I was freaking out about how to keep up momentum post-procedure.

 

I am having knee surgery in September to reconstruct a ligament, which will be EXACTLY 18 months and 1 week from the date of my injury.

I am TERRIFIED of

1) re-injuring myself after surgery

2) trying to take things too fast coming back

3) gaining back the weight I've lost and more (I'll be non-weight bearing and on crutches for 8 weeks)

 

It's great to hear from others that it IS possible to keep pushing through after a medical setback, and that coming out of it CAN be done, and done well. That in mind, I've still got 2 months to make things happen before the procedure. If only the pain from over-compensation in the good knee would stop. Up till now, I was doing a lot of walking, and feeling great - but I've got some kind of painful inflammation in the good knee now, which is another little hurdle to jump on the road to getting healthy again.

 

Thank you for sharing your stories here. They are very encouraging!

 

JJ - keep going, it sounds like you want to get back to where you started, and I'm sure that with that kind of attitude and the wisdom to make slow progress as needed, you'll be back to your best self again!

 

sucks, man.  Okay.  You can totally do this!

 

1.  listen to that terror about getting re-injured.  Own that fear and face it.  You will be afraid.  That's normal, natural, and you might always get to carry that around.  BUT if you just say "meh" you won't deal with it.  When I had to start walking without crutches after my first surgery - and I was in a giant boot cast - I actually sobbed at the PT's office.  Sobbed.  I was terrified I'd hurt my ankle again.  I told her it was complete and total fear and it was all consuming in that moment.  You know what she said, "that's normal.  Everyone I've ever worked with on a sports surgery like this feels that way".  wow.  That mattered so much.  So you are not alone and just know, you'll be afraid.  It gets better.

 

Also, listen b/c it will keep you from making stupid decisions.  I recently had the chance to run down a mountain in a race.  3 surgeries on my ankle and mountain of scree?  No thanks, I walked down.  Oh well, 2 mins lost there.  Whatever.  I was fine.  Ankle is strong!

 

2.  DO NOT TAKE it too fast!!! Don't push through.  That leads to reinjury and hinders healing.  Do everything your doctors says.  EXACTLY!.  I did ever time and healed super great.  If doc says you can bike in month 2 don't do it in month 1.  You won't win anything for that. 

 

3.  You don't need to gain weight.  Weight gain comes from what you put in the pie hole, not sitting around.  Don't put stuff in your pie hole.  Don't buy it, don't have it in the house.  DO NOT eat out of boredom or self pity.  Don't.  Think about this now.  Eat your regular meals with a tad less carbs.  No dessert every night.  I've just come off my fourth surgery and didn't gain any weight with any of them.  And yeah, I had the full leg cast and crutches.

 

My husband had his ACL rebuilt a long time ago and he crossfits 3x week, etc.  I had my ankle rebuilt and I do MMA and lift. 

 

You've got this and can do it!!!!!

[insanity]

 

Anyway... any more supportive stories would be great... it really helps me focus on where I need to be mentally right now.

 

-jj

If you need a bit of motiviation as far as injuries goes, read up on Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks). He just got drafted to the 49ers as a running back, but in 2011 he suffered a torn knee ligament, recovered from that, then promptly dislocated his right knee the next year (Probably one of the more gruesome football injuries I've seen) yet, he's managed to bounce back from both of those, and still end up being drafted to the NFL.

 

I think having to go through 2 potentially career ending injuries, only to make it to the career you could have ended up missing, is seriously awesome. The dude has my respect...

[cline]

If you need a bit of motiviation as far as injuries goes, read up on Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina Gamecocks). He just got drafted to the 49ers as a running back, but in 2011 he suffered a torn knee ligament, recovered from that, then promptly dislocated his right knee the next year (Probably one of the more gruesome football injuries I've seen) yet, he's managed to bounce back from both of those, and still end up being drafted to the NFL.

 

I think having to go through 2 potentially career ending injuries, only to make it to the career you could have ended up missing, is seriously awesome. The dude has my respect...

 

Oh! Great story!  Thanks!

[Guzzi]

I'm also recovering from injury and sooooo glad to hear there's others here in the same boat, and that you're getting back to previous strength.

I smashed a motorbike 2 years back (not my fault, honestly!) and ended up with 2 broken legs, 6 breaks in my pelvis, 2 in my right arm, and a couple of internal injuries. I spent 7 weeks flat on my back, trying to teach my legs how to move again, then 5 months on crutches learning how to walk all over again. It's amazing how your muscles "forget" how to do do these things! I mean, seriously???

Anyway, I'm on the long road to getting back to fitness and the hardest thing, for me, is trying to accept the things that I can no longer do. Like walk more than a couple of miles. So... My solution is not to accept it. *shrug* I just tell myself that it's only a matter of time, I don't know if that's true or not but it keeps me going.

I'm really lucky that my circumstances allowed me to have a positive outlook throughout the whole thing. I was able to rejoice in my achievements no matter how small (like the first time I managed to jump. God! I texted everyone I know for that one!)

B.I.G. Woot! For everyone making progress. Keep up the good work and keep smiling. (it keeps you sane-ish)