Recovery 101: Things to remember to help you recover faster after a sports-related injury

Whether you are a professional athlete or a student athlete, there's nothing more scary than an injury during training or in the midst of a competition.

It's every athlete's worst nightmare and depending on the injury, it is possible that it can end one's career.

To better equip ourselves with the proper knowledge on handling sports-related injuries, we talked to volleyball heartthrob John Vic De Guzman and he shared some valuable information on how to recover from an injury.

John knows a thing or two about being injured because it comes with the territory as a professional athelete. He was a top athlete in the volleyball program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and spearheaded the Philippine campaign to bring home the silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

In this exclusive interview with GMANetwork.com he pointed out some important tips to consider on how to heal quickly and in the proper way.

Photo taken from John Vic De Guzman's Instagram account

Mental toughness

There's nothing more crucial for any athlete than to have the mental toughness to carry on during the recovery process of any injury.

In an article posted on competitivedge.com, Alan Goldberg writes that staying mentally fit and thinking positive can do great wonders in your recovery.

“Your attitude and outlook is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! When positive, your attitude can speed up the healing process and lessen the emotional pain that you have to go through.”

John Vic recalls that he needed to be mentally tough during their campaign in the 30th SEA Games, because he, too, sustained an injury during the competition.

He reveals, “Elimination pa lang na-injure [na] ako during 'yung game namin against Indonesia, siguro mental toughness lang.”

In addition, the Kapuso volleyball star points out that there are so many athletes who recovered from terrible injuries and ended up playing at a higher level afterwards.

“Ang daming players na akala natin mawawalan ng career, dahil sobra 'yung injury na na-experience nila. Pero lumaban sila and still naglalaro sila, 'yung iba sobrang mas tumaas pa 'yung level after noong injury nila.”

Sleep is life

Athletes sometimes take sleeping for granted. A good rest is important to keep one's body in tiptop condition.

In an article posted on the website of the National Federation of Professional Trainers, it mentions the effects of sleep deprivation in the body.

“Insufficient rest greatly reduces your recovery capacity, and thus your capacity to do physical work.

“Athletes undergoing an intense training program should sleep at least 9-10 hours/night and adding a short nap right after training is optimal.”

In our one-on-one interview with John, he emphasizes that our body needs to recover from the intense games and training in order to avoid injuries as well.

He explains, “Pinaka-major diyan puyat, kasi every day ginagawa mo halos the whole day nagpa-pratice ka, pumapasok ka pa as a student. 'Yung katawan mo kailangan ng pahinga e.

“So minsan, hindi natin napapansin sa social media, may hawak tayong phone, kung ano man 'yung ginagawa natin. Hindi natin napapansin na 'yung katawan natin sobrang napapagod na, ngayon pagdating mo sa training hindi well-recovered 'yung body mo, hindi ka nakapag-pahinga ng maayos doon siya bumibigay kaya nagkakaroon ng injury.”

Source: Oliver King/ pexels.com

Lesson learned

Lastly, it is essential for any professional or student athlete to know why he or she sustained an injury.

John Vic De Guzman says that by learning more about your injury, you can prevent it from happening again in the future.

Remember, knowledge is power!

The volleyball player-actor says, “Siguro nga after mo ma-injure kailangan lesson learned na sa iyo i-prevent mon a 'yung ginagawa mo na hindi magiging okay for your body.”

What's more, the SEA Games silver medalist also mentioned that discipline is a key to avoiding any injuries in the first place.

John says, “Unang-una, bago tayo dumating sa injury kailangan maging disiplinado ka sa lifestyle mo.

“Pagtulog mo ng maaga, conditioning training, kailangan well-conditioned 'yung body mo.

“Yung proper diet, kasama 'yun lahat, e, factors 'yun.”

There you have it, we hope that these pointers can assist you in your road to recovery and to be able to compete again in the sports that you absolutely love.

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Source:

https://www.competitivedge.com/the-mental-side-of-athletic-injuries/

https://www.nfpt.com/blog/why-sleep-and-recovery-is-important