Pain And...Sports Injuries

You play a sport, and you get injured.  That’s straightforward, right?  Sometimes it is. You sprain your ankle, x-rays are negative, wear an ankle brace, do some rehab, and you’re mostly healed in three weeks.

But sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes, pain persists in the shoulder, knee, or back, even when the physical therapist or sports doctor says you’re healing “nicely.” They may do X-rays or an MRI scan.  But there’s not much showing up. Occasionally, what shows are “normal abnormalities,” but these do not clearly explain your pain.

So, you get referred to another doctor, another specialist, or another PT, but the pain persists. This is when I shift from my Sports Medicine jacket to my Mind-Body Medicine coat. I ask you about your symptoms, when they started, what makes the pain worse, and what eases your pain—the usual questions.

But then I surprise you with, “What’s going on in your life these days?”  I pause, and you may share something important.  What you were feeling just prior to getting hurt or in the recovery process can also be relevant.  Maybe you’ve been stressed out at school, bored at work, or unhappy with your parents or a relationship.  “No one has asked me about this before”, you tell me.  I indicate that your feelings are relevant to your healing!

We talk, and you share some important emotional factors.  Maybe you’re tired of your sport at age 14, or burned out by your coach at age 20, or it’s not sports-related, and you are still grieving your grandma’s passing, or struggling with what to do next in your career.  Whatever it is, letting it out and processing it is goo,d and holding it in is part of the cause of the problem!  Understanding and expressing these feelings can help heal your “injury” and relieve your pain. 

David Schechter, M.D., is Board-Certified in Family and sports Medicine and specializes in Mind-Body approaches to healing pain and injuries. His website iswww.mindbodymedicine.com.He has also written several books.