If you’ve ever played a competitive team sport at any level I’m sure you or a teammate you know has continued to play despite an injury. I’m not talking about a sprained ankle or a bruised arm; I mean cracked ribs, a separated shoulder, or just one too many concussions. I’m talking about an injury that can seriously mess you up. If you are currently experiencing a problem like that I have some advice for you. Just freakin’ chill! What I mean by that is just give your injury time to heal thoroughly; I’m not saying that you will have to completely give up the sport you love. Unless of course that is what it will take to let the injury heal.

Now I’m sure a lot of you hardcore athletes out there are saying, “What’s this sissy know? I’ll just pop a few Vicodin before the game and I’ll be fine.” Well everyone, I’ve been there and I know all to well the heartbreak caused by letting a healable injury turn into a career ending one. One of the most heartbreaking and life altering events I experienced could have all been avoided if I had only let my arm heal for a few months. Instead I continued to push myself until I became a permanent bench warmer. Now let that sink in for a minute. Is it really worth risking your entire playing career on an injury that you could just let heal? Sure you’ll miss a few games and practices but those are all things that can be made up given time. But if your injure yourself permanently there is no going back. This article is especially relevant for the young student athletes out there that are becoming increasingly competitive. I realize that the competition is getting harder and every player is pushing themselves a lot these days in hopes of getting a scholarship to play in a big name college and I know for a fact that every serious high school and college player is thinking in the back of their head, “Maybe one day I’ll make it to the big leagues”, whether it is the NFL, NBA, NHL or Pro Badminton circuit.

With those types of goals in mind and with everyone pressuring you to do your best it’s easy to ignore sound advice from doctors or loved ones. Athletes don’t want to let down their team, coach, and especially themselves if they know they can play exceptionally. Many athletes with that mentality will blow off an injury as just another obstacle to overcome. With many coaches and even parents demanding their children to go through unrealistic lengths to win and be the best it’s easy to see why so many student athletes don’t even acknowledge they have a problem. Take for example the movie “Varsity Blues” or “Friday Night Light’s”. In both films the best athletes continued to play with an injury that continued to compound itself every time the stepped onto the gridiron. Both could have saved their bodies and possibly their careers if they had just let their injuries heal. And that’s how you have to look at it. Sure you might take a few steps back if you sit out a few games while you heal but if you keep on playing you greatly increase the risk of worsening the injury. That can lead to your complete inability to compete in your chosen sport and/or it can lead to other medical problems that will aggravate or debilitate you later in life.

But athletes of any sport, I’ll leave you with this: If you think you have an injury that could be serious or could become serious go to a doctor right away. And even though you think their full of it and don’t know a dang thing listen to them because their doctors, that’s what they know. If the injury is bad enough just take a breather and sit out until it heals. Stop thinking about “right now”, and start thinking about your well being and your future.