74 | Carrie Answers a Question: Calen’s Chronic Injury
Release Date: 07/07/2022
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How does one find self-compassion when you’ve been through this too many times and understand the importance of the beginning phase while also itching to get out of it and back to the activities that bring me joy? I know all the usual tactics: time with friends, using other activities (music, podcast, drawing), resting, lifting upper body and moving in whatever way I can that doesn’t jeopardize the surgical area, reframing, CBT, DBT, etc. But I still feel a bit lost.” —Bec It’s our very last episode of the season—and a fitting Q&A to end on, as Coach Carrie...
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“If one already has a good physical therapist, what are the benefits of a personal trainer when recovering from an injury or surgery? Is it just more money or can a personal trainer actually be a value add?” “How do you balance being smart about prevention without letting worry of re-injury consume you?” “What is the best way to recover from a VERY torturous PT session? Mental and physical. Also, more info on using blood flow restriction for recovery.” “How can I trust that my crosstraining really works? And how can I let go of the fear of not recovering? I...
info_outline 130 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Marion’s MisgivingsThe Injured Athletes Club
“ How to deal with re-injury? I tore my ACL last winter and it almost broke me, but I fought my way back into skiing at almost my previous level this year. Now I just tore it again and I feel absolutely shattered. I wasn’t out of control or falling - the turn was just too much for my knee to handle and it snapped. I have no idea how I’ll ever feel confident enough to take up skiing in the future now this happened. Also, I’m feeling completely demotivated for my recovery this time around.” —Marion In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills...
info_outline 129 | Triathlete and Family Physician Alex McDonald: Advocating for Yourself as an AthleteThe Injured Athletes Club
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info_outline 128 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Jessica’s JunctureThe Injured Athletes Club
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info_outline 126 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Rachel’s ResentfulnessThe Injured Athletes Club
“ How do you manage the jealousy towards non-injured athletes while dealing with your own injury?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, athlete Rachel voices what so many other injured athletes feel—wondering how to cope with the feeling of loss and jealousy when she sees others doing the sport she’s missing. Coach Carrie acknowledges that feeling this way toward healthy athletes is normal during recovery....
info_outline 125 | Coach Carrie and Cindy Help You Through a SetbackThe Injured Athletes Club
“Setbacks are a very common part of injury recovery. I don't know if it's ever happened where someone heals with a perfect upward trajectory. I'm going to, I'm going to go ahead and say, it's very rare that that happens. This is why we talk so much about resilience and hardiness and the bounce that comes with a rebound.” Almost every injured athlete knows the feeling. You’re sticking to your plan, dedicated to your rehab, and certain that you’ll be back to 100 percent in the time the doctor outlined. Then, it happens—a new wrinkle to the injury, another procedure required, a...
info_outline 124 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Jessica’s JourneyThe Injured Athletes Club
“ I thought I was done with this group. I had surgery in 2021 to repair a torn labrum in my hip and I was doing better. Then 6 months after surgery, I was given the green light to go jogging 2 blocks and I’ve been in hamstring pain since then. How do you move past the back-to-back chronic injuries? How do I work out when I’m afraid anything will hurt me? How do I physically and emotionally heal from this 7-year injury journey?” We always say, “We’re sorry you’re here, but we’re glad you’re with us”—and when we (Coach Carrie and Cindy) heard this week’s...
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“If this was 20-year-old, John Petrelli, I probably wouldn't have the positive mindset to navigate those waters. I would have probably been going, why is this happening to me? Being fearful, having shame, being angry. But because so many people had come into my life as a mentor and shared their gift of knowledge, their love, their compassion on me … I said, how do I possibly make something positive happen out of this that may impact other people?” For 30 years, John Petrelli’s work as a personal trainer has relied on him being physically capable. So it came as a shock when,...
info_outline“I had arthroscopic surgery for FAI/labral tear six years ago, and it's been a long, slow road of recovery. I think my rehab program didn't focus enough on building back strength and mobility before I progressed back to running, so I've dealt with a lot of lower body injuries from overcompensation and bad movement patterns since then. I've been focusing more on mobility and strength in the last year and feeling better, but this week my hip has suddenly felt worse than it has in years. I've been trying to focus on what I can do for it right now and listening to my body, but it's been a really bad week mentally. I'm hoping this is just a temporary setback, but it's easy to spiral into anxiety and depression about losing the activities I love and the social aspect of being an athlete. I'd love to hear some advice on how to handle the mental and emotional struggle of a chronic injury!”
This week, co-host and mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question from listener Calen.
Coping with an unexpected setback is never easy, Carrie acknowledges, especially when it’s just another part of a long, arduous rehab journey. She describes a moment of acceptance that shifted her own perspective on chronic injury, and also offers some advice on social connection and support.
Listen to the show for more—and to submit a question for a future episode, email us a note or a voice memo to [email protected].
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To access more resources for injured athletes:
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.