While competing in sports always comes with the risk of injury, when injuries happen, they affect students both physically and mentally. Any injury can take an athlete out of a sport. It could be as little as a finger being sprained or as big as a serious tear. But an important thing with injuries is that they can get worse if not treated. 

The importance of recovery is why we have people that help with athletes and their injuries. Here at JAHS, we have our athletic trainer, Bryan Gray. 

“My goal is to treat the athletes and get them back out there as soon as possible,” Gray says. “But if they have a more serious injury and need more treatment, that is just as important. Failure to recover could lead to more serious injuries in the future.” 

The amount of athletes a trainer sees is dependent on which sports are in season. During football season, there are a lot more injuries that occur than in other non-contact sports. 

Every athlete’s recovery depends on their injury. Some can be short and others extremely long. Senior student athlete Avery Wynk was injured during the cross-country season this fall. 

“I got a stress fracture in my foot during one of my last cross-country meets,” Wynk says. “From when I got the injury until I got it checked out, I could barely put pressure on it, and was always very swollen. Recovery was me trying lots of different methods with the trainers. I would constantly be in there doing different exercises trying to recover as fast as I could. Even after most of my recovery, I could still notice it when I swam.”

Mental health can also contribute to recovery; they go hand and hand. The NCAA writes, “…mental health challenges that affect an individual’s susceptibility to injury may also have a compounding effect on rehabilitation and recovery outcomes.” 

Athletes not playing the sport they love can take a toll on their mental health. Wynk says, “Being out of racing and then coming back and not getting the times I did before my injury took a toll on me. It caused lots of stress and negative feelings. Also knowing I could be doing better but I physically couldn’t.”

In addition, athletes could have a fear of getting another injury after they are recovered. Some studies have shown that this can take a psychological toll on athletes.

According to the Sports Injury Bulletin, “Psychological responses following injury may include negative emotions, mood disturbances, fear of re-injury, failure-based depression, devastation, reduced confidence, and restlessness. These psychological responses can impact an athlete’s mental health and recovery.”