Playing through the Injury

Has anyone told you that you have the heart of a professional athlete beating in your chest? I’m saying you do, right now.

One of the great Edmonton Oilers players is hurt, again. He is out of the game until at least December 23. What does this mean to a player like him? It probably sounds a lot like frustration and feeling like he is letting others down. Others who need him and rely on him.

Anyone who has had an injury knows that feeling. That feeling can steal all the resilience from a person, but this player has got heart.

We all deal with injury in different ways. Those who have never dealt with a long-term injury do not understand that frustration. That feeling of grief and despair.

“Why me?”

“What did I do wrong? What should I have done different?”

“Why did I ignore the warning signs?”

“I thought I could push through and it would go away, why didn’t it this time?”

These questions are naturally going to wear on your heart and mind.

Jim hurt his back 20 years ago. Something popped. It was resolved.

He hurt it again 3 weeks ago, something popped, his leg has pain running down it, he thinks sciatica or some nerve compression. He needs treatment but he is too busy. If he takes the downtime he needs, he won’t be there for his family, he won’t be able to work as much as normal.

He feels he has to play injured because he has people relying on him. He is frustrated and knows he will hurt it again if he doesn’t listen to his body. It is a very difficult situation.

Band-aid solutions are cheap and easy to find. Real treatment is expensive and time consuming. There are no easy choices.

Jim has the heart of the professional athlete. He knows in his heart what he needs. He has decided to take time to heal.

It won’t be easy and it will be disheartening. It is so tempting to push through the pain and keep “playing the game”. In the end though, taking the time to heal, doing the work to heal properly, to minimize the chance of relapse to an area prone to injury – will truly serve him and his “team”.

If this resonates with you. If all you do is push through the pain and play injured, now is the time to listen to the heart of a professional hockey player and take the time to heal.