If you follow any sports, you might have been amazed at how quickly professional athletes seem to “bounce back” or recover from injuries that might have you benched for weeks. We asked Dr. Naomi Fyffe, who runs a Melbourne physiotherapy clinic, how that is possible. This is what we discovered.
How do Pro Athletes Recover Quickly?
The truth is: they don’t. Professional athletes do not recover any quicker from injuries than anyone else. The unfortunate reality is that they play or compete regardless of pain and injury. They often ignore the pain and keep going, where a non-athlete would stop and heal first. From more minor pains, such as plantar fasciitis, to more severe injuries, such as spinal stress fractures, professional athletes continue to play, ignoring any discomfort.
What are the Risks?
The old standard of “walk it off,” is not without consequence. There are risks of playing with pain. To begin with, ignoring pain can mean ignoring a serious injury, if not looked at and taken care of properly. This can turn an injury that is easily treatable into an injury that is more complicated to handle.
Another risk of playing through pain is continually reinjuring the same place in your body, resulting in permanent injury or damage rather than a temporary recovery. These athletes might suffer from chronic pain for the rest of their lives as a result.
Why do they do it?
Professional athletes play through pain because sports are their livelihood. Some professional athletes have to play in order to get paid. If they show signs of weakness, it could mean they lose pay or even get cut from the team in the future. Other athletes do not want to sacrifice their personal goals in order to allow themselves to heal. There is a common assumption that professional athletes have a set period of time that they can play before they are “aged out” and forced into retirement. For that reason, many athletes push themselves to the brink, trying not to show any signs of weakness.
Most coaches do not want their players to be seriously injured and will encourage athletes to take the time needed to heal and recovery. But since athletes often do not want to be perceived as weak, they will mask pain as long as they can before seeking help.
Unfortunately, many athletes do not seem to have concern for long term injury, but are instead focused on the near future and how to keep moving.
What should Athletes do?
The ideal situation for an injured athlete is to work with both a physician and a physiotherapist to create a recovery plan. A physiotherapist will be able to help them exercise and strengthen their bodies to promote positive healing and help athletes get back into the game. A physiotherapist is there to help keep you moving as healthily, and painlessly, as possible.
With the guidance of a physiotherapist, athletes can keep their goals in perspective, making the right decision about their athletic future. A positive and trustworthy relationship between an athlete and a physiotherapist will contribute to positive injury management while helping prevent other injuries in the future.
I have pain, what is next?
If you are an athlete suffering from pain, the first step for you is to visit a physician to make sure there are no underlying conditions or any injuries that require intervention, such as surgery or casting. Your physician can then refer you to a physiotherapist to help you plan out your recovery and get you back up and moving as painlessly as possible.