So, today marks a whole six months since a certain car driver sent me flying across the road. It's long enough for normality to feel like hospital and Physio appointments are a way of life! However, given the RTTC National Closed Circuit Champs were also held on Sunday (21st October), the 2018 racing season is pretty much over for everyone, well other than those brave souls giving it full beans up Pea Royd Lane next Sunday in the RTTC National Hill Climb. Now that is one race that I'm happy not to be contesting!
How we as athletes deal with injury depends on so many interconnected factors that Marshall & Paterson (2017) describe the theoretical models that attempt to make sense of this area as 'looking like spaghetti and meatballs'! Marshall goes on to describe the general injury roller coaster; where some days athletes are calm and accepting and others more akin to a psychotic Medusa with a passive aggressive streak. I'm sure anyone who has been injured can relate to feeling grouchy, having the odd mood swing, some level of frustration, depressive tendencies or social withdrawal - particularly if your social life is/was actively taking part in the sport in question. Meanwhile your significant others are treading on egg shells wondering what the best thing to say is... Its fair to say that injury can bring fire and brimstone even to the most optimistic and positive of sporting households.
As much as I know all too well how lucky I am to be alive, that my injuries could have been far worse and the damage permanent (we hope that it isn't), I still have plenty of 'what if...' moments. Ranging from what if I hadn't gone out that morning, what if I lose all my fitness (that much is pretty much granted already), what if I do regain my range of movement and strength, get back on the bike and get hit again...
The obvious difference for me this time around is, it's not an overuse injury (I've ignored the warning signs on a fair number of those previously in my running days) - this is something that someone else has done to me (whether intentionally or not) resulting in an acute impact trauma. Plus the actual consequences of this have been far greater. Its not just been a lost racing season, which lets face it is ultimately just a very enjoyable but time-consuming hobby, it's also been additional worries and concerns over very real issues: Time off work, cost of treatment, transport to appointments (I haven't been able to drive since April), loss of confidence, loss of a social life and to some extent the level of social support to get through the tough times. It's really hard to empathise with someone if you've not been in that situation before, so it's very easy for friends who've perhaps had a more straightforward 'off' to gloss over it and expect you to be back training within a couple of months. Little do they realise that I've been busily 'training' to grapple with using cutlery to eat dinner rather than trying to turn everything into finger food!
On the plus side I have become what Marshall & Paterson (2017) describe as an 'active patient' rather than a passive patient. Sadly not in the sense that I would usually term active, but by constantly researching pain management, shoulder instability, funky exercises, whether hydrotherapy would benefit me now or later... Most of the time the answers are as diverse as our individual responses to injury - it varies greatly! However, even if my efforts don't actually impact my treatment or recovery pathway I'm sure they help with navigating the emotional journey, even if only by means of distraction.
Top tips to support yourself/someone you know through an injury:
1. Empathy not sympathy! One of the most natural things is to dole out the sympathetic platitudes 'you'll come back even stronger', 'don't worry, you'll be back in no time'... Although well intentioned, these are seldom helpful. If you don't know what to say, why not take the time to listen by opening up the opportunity: help me to understand what it feels like to... [have to deal with this], you must be feeling... [pretty overwhelmed], [anxious], [frustrated], it sounds like you're... [worried about...] [frustrated by...] etc
2. Injury dependent, you may be able to focus on something that has gone by the wayside due to lack of time or another focus in training. A regular sports massage for tight muscles might be suitable as long as it doesn't jeopardise your present injury recovery. Or there might be another weakness that you could hone in on - visualisation for pre-race anxiety perhaps. Maybe something totally unrelated to sport or your injury might be better, for example a good book...
3. Social support plays a big role in buffering the emotional effect of injury. As a friend, family member, colleague or teammate you can play a really important role in helping to ensure that your injured athlete doesn't become socially isolated. If you know of someone else who has been through something similar, then putting them in touch might also be useful. Imagine how you'd feel if you were sidelined - you probably wouldn't want to hear all about how well someone else's training is going or perhaps you would!
4. Don't be tempted to ask others how someone is, why not ask them yourself? They are likely to feel much more valued that way.
If you are sidelined or on the sidelines trying to be there for someone who is, hopefully there might be a useful tip or two amongst my latest ramblings. If you've something to share I'd love to hear it and even more so if it relates to shoulder recovery!
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