If you have ever suffered a serious injury and been sidelined from sports, you know that the rehab process can be discouraging and draining. However, there are things that athletes can do to prevent injuries from occurring and there are coping methods that injured athletes can take to get through hard times. 

I broke my ankle last year and was out of both my spring lacrosse season and the majority of my summer recruiting season. It took a toll on my mental health because I feared I was never going to be the athlete I was before. I would now tell my previous self that comparing yourself to the athlete you were before is a waste of time. So instead of critiquing yourself and comparing your new abilities to your former self, you need to take this time to be the best you can be. I did everything I could that was in my control to get back. This meant doing my physical therapy workouts to the best of my ability, watching film, and playing my sport in any way I could. 

I am not the only athlete who has had these struggles and all these struggles are very normal. MC Millman ‘25 is a well-rounded athlete, holding varsity spots on both the girls’ lacrosse team and the girls’ basketball team. Millman tore her ACL and meniscus in a fall ball scrimmage for basketball and will be sidelined for nine months. To stay optimistic Millman is making sure to surround herself with good people to distract herself from her injury. She has also been setting new goals for herself to remind herself what’s in her control. “I just try and work hard at physical therapy and be there for my team. Even though I can’t play, I still try to be a leader,” Millman said.

It is important to remember injuries are completely out of our control. However, there are things we can do to try to make them less likely to happen. Lifting weights, especially targeting your legs, can strengthen you so you’re less susceptible to injury. “Research indicates that resistance training promotes growth and/or increases in the strength of ligaments, tendons, tendon to bone and ligament to bone junction strength, joint cartilage and the connective tissue sheaths within muscle.” (National Library of Medicine) In conclusion, it’s important to do what you can to prevent injury and stay on top of your mental health during injury to remind yourself of what is in your control.