Disrupting the Cycle of Injury
You don’t have to keep doing what you’ve always done just because you’ve always done it. A lesson in listening to your soul and not just your coach.
Some years back, I worked with a young soccer player I’ll call Kate who captained the B-squad for a highly competitive U-15 club soccer team. Even though she was short in stature, heavy-set and relatively slow afoot, she was a central defender, playing all 90 minutes of most every game. Until she got hurt.
Her mom whisked her off to the orthopedist whose diagnosis was inconclusive, but the recommendation was to rest and take some time off from everyday play. Things felt better so she returned to action.
When she did, the pain returned, except this time the symptoms were more troublesome. The Doctor’s advice was again, take more time off. Kate complied. When she returned to play, the soreness again returned, now with even more ferocity, but X-ray and MRI were negative for anything really serious.
That’s when Kate’s Mom called me to help. “What could I do to help resolve Kate’s cycle of injury?”
Kate and I met regularly for several weeks. I found her symptoms were pretty typical of girls her age who played too much soccer. Overworked knees in fast-growing kids were not meant to be subjected to these kinds of demands, but icing and rest usually resolved the issue.
Not for Kate. No matter what we tried, she and Mom landed back in the ortho’s office.
Stumped, I tried to be more creative in designing Kate’s recovery training. She was diligent, working hard at each session and improving markedly in her strength, mobility and flexibility. I found her bright, highly motivated and anxious to get back on the field with her teammates.
After 6 weeks, she should have been able to return to play. But every time she did, the pain returned. I began to wonder if Kate’s injury was more than physical. Perhaps it was her way of avoiding the pressure she felt to compete at an elite level in a body that had to work twice as hard as others to perform just as well.
At the next session I took a different approach. Instead of a workout, we took a walk along the trails that ran through the park. While the rest of the team was running conditioning drills and working on set plays, we chatted about life, goals and, of course, about soccer.
It was here, finally, I met the real Kate — who loved the out-of-doors and the sciences. Her twin brother was actually the athlete in the family. Kate didn’t see a future for herself in college soccer.
So why did she keep playing through all this? I wondered.
“You know you don’t have to play soccer,” I said, as nonchalantly as I could, as we strolled along the path.
This stopped her literally in her tracks. Clearly, this idea had never occurred to her.
How could she quit? She was the captain. The team counted on her. She had played since she was 5. And besides, she was this close to making the A-team squad.
But — and I didn’t say this to her directly — it’s clear you don’t want to be doing this. You can make a different choice. You don’t have to keep doing what you’ve always done just because you’ve always done it.
You don’t have to keep doing what you’ve always done just because you’ve always done it.
Can we take a step back to gain some perspective — maybe do a gut check?
Up until now, even if she didn’t want to continue, Kate had never considered a change of course. That would be quitting and quitting was failing. Being injured gave her an “excused absence” from playing. She could support the team from the sidelines without bearing the weight of having to win.
This felt right and comfortable to Kate. It checked all the boxes to keep everyone happy. Except herself. She had to keep feigning physical injury. And that was a huge load I don’t think she even knew she was carrying.
I am remembering Kate1 as I watch today’s omnipresent social media put its thumb on the scale of people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, especially, it seems to me, young women. Perhaps those in their 50’s and 60’s, as well. Each day’s Instagram, X or Facebook delivery bringing new things we “must” do to succeed, be our best, keep up, catch up, extend our longevity, improve our health, or generally perform up to par.
At least Kate’s pressures were in-person and mostly of her own doing. Now we open the door to a veritable onslaught of people we don’t even know who are raising expectations.
Who doesn’t want to take an injury time out?!
Aside: One December, I had just delivered a beautiful baby girl, and it was the best Christmas ever! My task was before me, and I was perfectly suited to it. No one expected me to attend every party, shop for every gift, decorate the whole tree or make cookies for the class Christmas party. There I sat on the couch with this beautiful blonde bundle, completely satisfied.
Now, as I am quite a few years past bundled babies of my own, I can still be prone to people-pleasing and expectation-meeting, but mostly they’re my own. Thanks to the wisdom and support of friends who’ve walked with me through life’s difficult circumstances, I’ve grown better at asking: What are my options? What am I best suited for? Am I headed in the right direction? How best can I get there?
I’m gonna keep asking those questions, even at my age.
I’m feeling grateful to have made it this far, but I’m not done yet. Not quite rounding third base, as they say, but certainly standing on third, feeling grateful to have slid in safely.
So, what do I do now?
A quick self-assessment says it may take a base hit for me to score, because my speed down the line isn’t what it used to be. But I’m wily. I know this game. Now I run on instinct and experience. I assess the game situation: how many on? how many out? There’s 90 feet exactly between me and my objective.
I run through my options. If it’s hit on the ground, run only if forced to. For a fly ball, tag up in case it’s deep enough for me to score. If it’s driven into the gap, waltz on home. How I’d love to amble home…
But more likely, given the way the world is, the squeeze play will be on. That means the batter is bunting and I’m running on contact, sprinting for all I’m worth, diving headfirst toward a catcher whose only job it is to make sure I don’t score.
Funny, I remember when I learned the squeeze play back in high school. It was the bottom of the 9th inning, score tied, a runner on third base, and me at bat. Coach Hogue thought we could execute the squeeze play to win the game. He called us aside to explain the play. We had practiced bunting, sliding, and running the bases, but we had never practiced this.
On that day, I was at bat. Bunting wouldn’t be easy; this pitcher threw really hard. I needed to direct the ball just so, touch it just right, on the very first pitch. I’m not sure I had ever squared to bunt in a real game before.
The pressure was on, but our preparation served us well.
The other team never saw it coming.
So, I guess I’ve spent pretty much my whole life preparing for this season of life. Funny, now that I am here, I don’t feel the pressure at all.
Kate has since graduated from a very Green University and is pursuing her passion as a researcher in the biological sciences.