4 Useful Tips To Deal With an Injury as a College Athlete
Do you play for your college basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, or football team? If so, then sports injuries aren’t new to you. College athletes often have shoulder, knee, elbow, hip, and spine injuries during a match. You can also get injured during practice sessions. But like every sportsperson, the motto here is to come back stronger than ever.
You can suffer from minor cuts while attempting to strike a goal. Or you can get a shoulder cramp while teeing off. But things can get challenging when you’ve had a hairline fracture, ligament tear, tendonitis, bursitis, or dislocation. It is essential to exercise proper care so that you heal quickly.
It’s natural, even for a successful college athlete, to succumb to fear at the onset of an injury. But there are ways to rise from that and move towards recovery. This article will share guidelines for dealing with such injuries.
Do Not Panic
The moment you fall badly on the football field and injure your knees, you are bound to be overwhelmed. The initial thoughts are never positive. It’s mostly about how bad the injury could be and how long it will take to get better. This is what creates overwhelm, leading to stress, anxiety, and excess panic.
Easier said than done—you need to put a stop button on it. You certainly can’t ignore the pain and physical discomfort. So, it helps immensely if you can silence the mind chatter born out of panic. Maybe your muscles are tight. You might feel better after applying a pain-relief spray or a good stretch.
On the other end of the spectrum, chances are you can have a deeper wound, like a ligament tear or calf muscle injury. You wouldn’t know what to do until you had a medical check-up. So, without getting scared and stressed, it’s best to get a clinical intervention.
Consult a Nursing Specialist
Knowing what went wrong after your sports injury is imperative. That is exactly what a nursing specialist does. They check the injured area (knees, shoulders, calf, or ankle) and try to figure out the extent of the damage. They might ask patients to get X-rays done for them to check whether it’s an external or internal injury.
Since leading nurse consultants have undergone online RN to MSN bridge programs, they know how to treat sports injuries. Let’s understand what these courses entail.
An RN (registered nurse) works as a licensed medical professional, offering hands-on care in various community and medical settings. It can be at nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and hospitals. When RNs plan to take their qualification and career a notch higher, they opt for an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) degree. It prepares them to work as clinical nurse leaders, health policy experts, and nurse administrators.
The RN-to-MSN bridge degrees are intensive and prepare aspiring nurses for this field adequately. Hence, after an initial examination, an established nurse consultant might collaborate with physicians and healthcare providers to arrive at a precise diagnosis.
After that, they create a compact care plan based on the specific needs of a college athlete. Additionally, they also monitor treatments like pain management, wound care, and physical therapy. These nurses will eventually let you know about the recovery plan to follow. Also, they update on the muscle relaxing exercises to practice and how to prevent further injuries.
Wilkes University states that most nursing specialists with the correct degree have advanced clinical skills. They also exercise the right level of compassion and professionalism. Their years of experience have made it easy for them to deal with college athletes and treat their injuries. The nurses will provide you with the correct treatment, mental comfort, and the space to clear any doubts they have.
Know That Healing an Injury Will Require Time
You can get rid of muscle cramps or minor sprains in a week or two. But when it’s a bone fracture or ligament tear, you need to set realistic expectations. Don’t expect to be back on the field as you were before the injury. You need to accept that and go ahead with your treatment and recovery plan.
It’s necessary to understand that only when you give yourself adequate time to recover can you heal from within. So, don’t rush your healing process. Instead, take a pause from the chaos of daily life and give yourself some rest.
Allow your healthcare provider to suggest an approximate time for a complete recovery. But keep in mind that it can vary based on your progress.
Stay Disciplined
Even though the recovery from a sports injury might appear laid back and that of inaction, discipline has a role to play. For instance, you must apply an ice pack and take your medicines on time. You have to go for weekly or biweekly visits to your doctor, who can evaluate your progress better. It is also essential to do the stretching exercises recommended to you for healing muscles and better flexibility.
Apart from that, make sure that you have quality sleep and stay hydrated. Consume a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and seeds, and have health supplements too. Make sure to eat your meals and take your medicines on time for them to work correctly. Apply the pain relief and repair medicated creams that you are asked to daily.
Also, anytime you feel any discomfort, either physically or psychologically, share it with your doctor. There might be underlying issues that need to be addressed and treated.
Taking everything into account, healing from an athletic injury will take time based on how severe it is. Minor cuts can go away in weeks, whereas severe injuries can take months, even a year. It’s best to get a medical diagnosis and follow the suggested treatment plan and guidelines as mentioned above.
If there are moments when you feel dejected and hopeless, remind yourself of how you’ve healed before. It will fill you with confidence, calm your mind, and create the correct state to recuperate quickly.