Coming back from an injury is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Whether it’s a jammed finger or a broken leg, all injuries come with setbacks, whether minor or major, and often involve a lot of adversity. Athletes train year-round to get ready for the sport, just for a chance during the season. An injury comes along, and the same athlete who trained all offseason has to sit on the sideline and watch from a distance instead of getting a chance to play. Messing up on a play or having a bad game is nothing compared to having to miss games because of an injury.
Gibson Wierenga is a member of the varsity baseball team here at FHC. He went through one of the worst injuries in sports, a torn ACL. Coming back from one of those is quite a feat.
“I had to come back from a Torn ACL and damaged meniscus after I planted on my right leg in an awkward way during a travel baseball game in June of last year,” Wierenga said. “I underwent a three-part surgery, which ended up being a nine-month recovery.”
The hardest part of coming back from an injury could be the rehab and recovery part. You have to push through pain and discomfort to get stronger and in shape if you ever want to make it back to the field or the court. Not getting frustrated or discouraged is an everyday battle and struggle for athletes coming back from injuries.
“In the two weeks after my surgery, I was stuck on my couch, and I could barely move, “Wierenga said. “I was stuck on crutches for four weeks after surgery, and that left me pretty frustrated. I had a few times when I thought I would never get back to normal.”
Alex Custer, a sophomore here at FHC, has also had his fair share of injuries. He had to come back from a fractured wrist a couple of years ago.
“It’s definitely harder to come back from injuries because you can’t do certain things that you normally can,” Custer said. “That also makes the recovery process harder.”
Having discipline to grind through rehab and be motivated enough to even try to get back to your sport can also be very hard. Even if you’re motivated to try and get back to your sport, having the discipline to show up every day and work hard is not something you can take for granted.
“I was always motivated to come back and play again, mostly to prove to myself that I still could,” Wierenga said. “I pushed hard at Physical Therapy to make sure I would be strong and healthy enough to come back without issue, and I was lucky enough to play my first varsity baseball game at LMCU Ballpark last April.”
Casten’s rehab wasn’t that long, but again, any injury is tough. Even if rehab is long, is it really worth coming back?
“Rehab was long, and I did a lot with CJ and Alex,” Casten said. “But it was all worth it.”
Bad injuries like that can have lasting effects, even if rehab is successful. If recovery goes great and everything goes to plan, past injuries can still nag athletes for unknown reasons.
“It isn’t really affecting me anymore,” Wierenga said. “It bugs me from time to time if it’s in an uncomfortable position, but when I’m active, I’m comfortable moving around and pivoting.”
Even if the injury doesn’t sideline the athlete for too long, watching from the sideline, even if it’s for minimal time, still sucks. Just ask Lucas Casten, a member of the JV football team. He was sidelined for the first 3 weeks of the season with an ankle injury.
“Yeah, it was tough watching from the sidelines because I couldn’t help my teammates during a close game,” Casten said.
Even if the effects aren’t long-term, they can be short-term and still annoying or painful.
“My wrist was definitely weaker for a while after my injury,” Custer said. “I had to work hard to get my strength back.”
Examples like that show that coming back from injuries is more than possible, and most athletes come back stronger. Though the comeback stories sound pretty cool, the injury itself and injuries in general are one of the worst parts of sports or physical activities, and have been messing with athletes for a long time.
“Coming back from injuries is tough,” Custer said. “But once you’re back on the field, all of the recovery and adversity is worth it.”
