If you ask almost any athlete what the worst thing is that could happen during their career, I think you would get two answers most commonly: a loss at [insert name of top competition in the sport] or an injury. Let’s be honest: injuries are the absolute worst. Why? Not only do they take weeks to months to years of recovery, there is an uncertainty associated with injury that doesn’t exist with a loss, or a team change, or any other undesirable event. Let’s say you lose a championship, it’s a question of when you’ll be able to try again. If you get injured, it’s a question of if you’ll be able to try again.
In the face of the ominous ‘if’, it’s really easy to give up, let anger or other emotions about the situation dominate, because recovery is hard. I know that’s not what most people want to hear, but it’s true. Recovering from an injury takes resilience, determination, good mental health and a strong, comprehensive support network.
My introduction to cheerFIT came as the result of two injuries (one serious, one moderate) within the space of 15 months. In the first injury, I fell directly onto my head and then shoulder. I came out with concussion, impacted spine, and injury to the muscles in my upper axis and back. Personally, the worst part of that injury was the timing: 2 weeks before starting at the only Canadian school with an NCAA In the second, I had a muscle and nerve injury in my right/dominant wrist and carpometacarpal joint, although the exact mechanism and type of injury remain a mystery to this day. I wasn’t finding my physiotherapy very effective (although water immersion ultrasound therapy is a great pain reliever and I highly recommend it for nerve pain where appropriate!) and I wanted to be more engaged in sport-specific training. I did a google search of cheer-oriented rehab and came across cheerFIT.
After my wrist was cleared to start gentle weight-bearing, I started training with cheerFIT because after having spent almost 6 months in a stationary brace, it was like starting at ground zero in terms of strength and utility. I think this step is commonly one characterized by fear and apprehension, because you just don’t know if the injured area is ready or can do it, right? It can, and so cam you. Having patience with yourself so that you celebrate and validate the “small” accomplishments, and having confidence in yourself that you can do this are crucial to recovery! I can remember being so excited the first time I got to five plank pushups on my wrist, and so were Danielle and some girls I worked out with. This is where that support piece comes in: optimal recovery is a team effort. You need people to encourage and validate your efforts when you take two steps forward, and you need people to boost you up when your progress takes a step back. The extent and form of this support will be different for each individual athlete, as everyone has a different experience of injury, and everyone’s support system looks different.
At the end of the day, the journey from injury to comparable recovery is hard, but it’s not impossible! Set SMART goals for yourself, be positive in your evaluation of your progress, and make sure you are surrounded by people who will echo and support your goals. You can do this!
Your Ambassador,
Brieanne
Brieanne
Brieanne is a graduate student and community developer from the Great White North (i.e. Canada). Our first Canuck Ambassador, Brieanne is best known for her happy, supportive and high-energy personality, and her ardent belief in the power of ‘(positive) energy hugs’. A fitness enthusiast, she also dances (everywhere, anytime), runs, practices yoga, and spends as much time outdoors as possible. If she’s not sweating it up with CheerFIT, you can find her addressing social inequities and structural violence with(in) various communities or baking away for parties and pleasure alike while blasting Taylor Swift.