ATHLETES
Everyone wants what a champion has, but few are willing to put in the work and sacrifice that it takes to become a champion. That includes the discipline it takes to recover from injuries and setbacks.
Your outer reality will eventually match your inner thoughts. Focus your mind on the reality that you want to attain.
Greatness is the fruit of a Champions inner standard.
Your standard is the level of accountability you hold yourself to when no one else is looking.
GROWTH MINDSET
Overcoming injuries/challenges: mental and physical growth
Injuries are an essential growth opportunity. Overcoming injuries and prevention of injuries are a critical part of sports. All athletes will experience a setback from injury at some point in their lives. The injury is not the real issue, how we respond to the injury is the real issue. Athletes must look at the injury as simply a challenge that must be overcome and face it head on. THERE IS NEVER A “GOOD TIME” TO EXPERIENCE AN INJURY. OFTEN IT HAPPENS RIGHT BEFORE AN IMPORTANT EVENT. INJURIES GIVE ATHLETES A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN DISCIPLINE, SACRIFICE, DEDICATION AND PATIENCE.
INJURIES ALSO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOUR BODY, THROUGH PREVENTION STRATEGIES SUCH AS STRENGTH, CONDITIONING, AND FLEXIBILITY. INJURIES CAN TEACH US THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT INCLUDING FOOTWEAR AND ARCH SUPPORT. IT IS UP TO THE ATHLETE TO ACCEPT THESE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND GROW FROM THEM.
Student Athletes
“Growing Pains”: pain is never “normal”. Pain is your body’s signal that something is wrong. It is important that we teach our youth to listen to their bodies and not ignore pain. Pain is like your car’s check engine light coming on. Just like you would bring your car to a mechanic to diagnose the reasons that your check engine light is one, you should go to a chiropractic or medical physician to diagnose the reasons you have pain and develop a plan of action to correct the issue.
It is common during growth spurts for the long bones to elongate faster than the muscles do which can lead to tight muscles pulling excessively at their attachments and causing pain. Osgood Schlatter's disease aka jumpers' knee, aka patellar tendonitis, is an example of a condition that can become very painful. Soft tissue techniques to stretch the quadriceps and hamstrings, custom biomechanical orthotics to stabilize the feet and acute anti-inflammatory strategies can all help to alleviate the pain from Osgood Schlatter’s.
Hyper pronation or loss of the arch of the foot or feet can contribute to many issues in athletes of all ages. Unsupportive athletic shoes, especially cleats, can significantly contribute to the issue. Conditions of the feet, ankles, shins, knees, and hips such as plantar fasciitis, ankle pain, shin splints, Iliotibial band syndrome and bursitis of the hip can all have a common contributing cause coming from excessive dropping of the arches of the feet.
professional Athletes
NO ONE BECOMES A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE WITHOUT EXPERIENCING AND OVERCOMING INJURIES. THE BIGGEST KEY, ONCE YOU GRIND LONG AND HARD ENOUGH TO DEVELOP THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SKILLS TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, IS TO KEEP YOUR BODY HEALTHY SO THAT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN YOUR SPORT. MANY CAREERS ARE CUT SHORT WHEN YOUR BODY BREAKS DOWN FROM INJURY. PREVENTION THROUGH STRENGTH, CONDITIONING AND FLEXIBILITY TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL. A TRUE CHAMPION KNOWS THAT REACHING THE TOP IS THE FIRST STEP TO GREATNESS, BUT TRUE GREATNESS IS BEING ABLE TO STAY ON TOP.
“Retired” Athlete: what comes next
Many of us have participated in athletics to some extent or another and suffered injuries as a result. Often those injuries were ignored or improperly treated or simply did enough damage to the tissues involved that they were not able to heal properly. Once tissue heals improperly then it becomes more easily damaged through repetitive low stress events. These stressors can be as simple as poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle. Most of us transition from being a highly active athlete to having a more sedentary lifestyle in both our jobs and our free time. Sitting has been labeled the “new smoking”.
Our cardiovascular system and our musculoskeletal system both suffer from being sedentary sitting. We begin developing chronic back and neck pain and headaches from poor posture and deconditioning on top of prior injuries. This is where the saying “It sucks to get old” comes from. This does not need to be your future. You can change your mindset and change the body you are living in.
